Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney:The Puzzling Turnabout
by Ice Maiden Olivier
Summary: a spot of inspiration from the news of a game crossover. anyway, what happens when wright has to defend layton on a murder charge?, read on to find out...
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: A true Gentleman?

wn: I had initially put this on bulbagarden forums in the writers workshop, (fyi I am under the name samwin! there) Due to lack of reviews there, I figured I would try it here instead. Anyway, I wrote this at 1am this morning when I couldn't sleep, still, who knows, it may be the start of something good, so, here goes nothing This is set around the time of Trials and Tribulations...

Date: 02/03/2019, Location: Courtroom Number 2, Time: 11:00am

"Why is it, that when you're waiting for someone, or in my case, something, the whole world seems to slow down, to the point where it is almost as if you are living in a black hole?"

This kept me wondering as I sat in the defendants chair, waiting for the opposing sides to discover the truth, and ultimately, reach a verdict. What case were they working on you may ask, well, let me tell you.. It was mine...

"I guess now is a better time as any to introduce myself, my name is Professor Hershel Layton and I am on trial for murder..."

"I would imagine now you are wondering how a gentleman such as me could end up in such a predicament, now that is a rather interesting tale"...

"Flashback"

24/02/2019, Location: Gatewater Hotel, Time: 11:55am

It all started with "that phone call" from a good friend of mine about a week ago while I was having a well-deserved cup of tea with my young apprentice.

"... Hello?, is that Professor Layton?" came a familiar voice on the other end

"... It's been a while Miles Edgeworth, how did you know I was here in America?"...

"That was easy to work out Layton, how many people in America do you know that go around wearing THAT hat?"

"Hmm, you have a point there my friend, it seems that us gentlemen are what you might call a 'dying breed"..

"Heh, I couldn't agree more, now, it isn't often we get to meet up, so how would you feel about meeting me this afternoon, there's this new tearoom that has just opened up near the courthouse, we could catch up there over a cup of Earl Grey, and I can meet that apprentice of yours.. Luke Triton is his name right?"

"Yes, that's him, how does say 1pm sound..."

"That should be fine, if you both meet me by the courthouse, we can go together"...

"That will be fine, see you there, goodbye for now"..

And with that the two gentlemen hung up.

"Who was that Professor?" Luke asked me, with a look of curiosity in his eyes

"Ah, that my dear boy, was a very good friend of mine, Miles Edgeworth, he heard that I was in town and wants to meet up with us outside the courthouse this afternoon, so we can catch up over a cup of Earl Grey at this new tearoom", I explained, and was about to pick up my trusty journal, when Luke spoke up again.

"But Professor, what about me?" Luke protested

"Don't worry Luke!, he wants to meet you as well" I replied with a reassuring smile

"Really? wow!" when did he say we are to meet him?"

I looked down at my watch, and replied: "At 1'O Clock, which means we have just over an hour before we are to meet him... talking of time, that reminds me of a puzzle, can you solve it?"

"A good gentlemen never leaves a puzzle unsolved!", Luke declared with a grin, his eyes sparkling with anticipation

"Heh, well, here we go..."

Puzzle 1: "Time for tea?"

You have been asked to by a friend to meet you in exactly 195 minutes at her house for a cup of tea, however, you must now convert the minutes into how many hours and left over minutes there are, can you do it?"

"Hmm, well, I know there are 60 minutes in an hour, and 60 x 3= 180, which would mean there are 3 hours total, and 15 minutes left!", Luke replied, while looking up at me hopefully

"Correct!, it is always important to know how to work out such questions, that way, you are never late", I told him

"Yes!, that was too easy", Luke grinned,

I laughed. "Yes well, I suppose it was, however, I wanted to give you an easy puzzle, after all the hard ones I have given you lately!"

"Professor!, to me, no puzzle is too small!.. ok.. maybe that is a little bit of an exaggeration"...he replied, and muttered the last part

"That's the spirit Luke!, now, shall we finish unpacking?, as at the moment, we've barely started", I told him, and looked at the two untouched suitcases that were sitting on the bed

"Aww come on Professor!, we're supposed to be on holiday remember?, lets relax a little!", Luke protested

"We will relax, right after we have finished unpacking!", I told him firmly, and with that, I began unpacking my case

"Aww ok!", Luke replied in a defeated tone, and with a weary sigh, he began unpacking his own case

It didn't take either of us very long to get our cases unpacked, and before we knew it, it was soon time to meet Miles.

"Look at the time Luke! shall we get going?" I asked my young friend

"Sounds good to me professor!" Luke replied, and with that, we walked out of our hotel room.

As we walked down to the lobby, Luke was in awe of splendour of the hotel, and kept commenting on it's beauty

"I haven't seen anything so amazing!, well.. not since we visited Folsense".. Luke remarked

"I know what you mean, while this place is certainty magnificent, few things can compare to the buildings of Folsense", I replied, shocked at how long ago that "incident" was.

We were just about to walk into the Lobby itself, when we had the shock of our lives..

"STOP RIGHT THERE HAT!", came a booming voice, and a rather scruffy looking figure of a man, who was wearing a trenchcoat that appeared to be in dire need of an appointment with the washing machine came into view, wielding a pair of handcuffs...

"Who me?, what ever is the matter?", I asked, a little concerned as to why this unusual man was acting in such a manner

"You are under arrest!, for the murder of the actress Sapphire Stone pal!", and before either of us knew what was happening, I had been handcuffed, and was being led away by the rather scruffy looking detective.

"WAIT!, WHERE ARE YOU TAKING HIM?", I heard Luke yell, as he ran after us, as fast as his short little legs could take him, his trusty satchel waving along as he ran

"It'll be alright Luke, go back up to our room, and call Miles Edgeworth, tell him what's going on, and to have him collect you ok?", I called out, and with that, I was put into the police car, and driven away...

"PROFESSOR!", Luke was distraught. He knew that his mentor and friend couldn't possibly of been capable of such an act, but he was worried as to why the police here clearly thought otherwise.  
However, he knew that he couldn't stand around and panic, and with that, he ran back to their room, careful to avoid the detectives that were now swarming the hotel"..

It didn't take him long to reach their room, and with that, he pressed the redial button, his little hands shaking violently as he did so...

"... H.. Hello?", Luke whispered

"... Who is this?"... came the distinct voice on the other end, who sounded a little weary

"My name's Luke.. Luke Triton.. there's no time to fully explain.. you have to help him, he's been ARRESTED!, you have to help the Professor!, just... JUST PLEASE COME!", and with that, he slammed the phone down, and began to cry before Edgeworth even had a chance to get a word in...

Meanwhile...

Miles Edgeworth, the gentlemen prosecutor, stood just staring at the phone in his hands, wearing a look of shock and disbelief all over his face, which was a rare occurance for him.

"How is it that all those who I am acquainted with, have been arrested at some point?", He thought while frowning. There was that fool Larry Butz, one of his childhood friends, accused of murdering his girlfriend; Phoenix Wright, another childhood friend who still has hair that resembles that of a porcupine and still his friend today.

He was accused of murder not once, but twice, however, he is the only one who has ever defeated him in court, and manage to shed him of his "demon prosecutor" reputation at the same time, and then there was Maya Fey, that young spirit medium and close friend of Wright. He never thought in a million years someone could get into so much trouble and danger till her met her. On top of being accused of murder, she has also been nearly murdered and kidnapped. Then there was himself, Miles Edgeworth.

A man known for his ruthlessness with a piercing glare that could easily put the fear of God into detectives and Defense Attorneys alike, he was a man not to be angered.

However, he never truly understood how those he prosecuted truly felt till that fateful day, where he himself were forced to sit in the defendants chair for a murder he didn't commit. He knew that his good friend could never be capable of such an act, but nevertheless he knew he had to find the truth and help his friend.

"Question is.. where is he staying?..." He thought, and then had an idea.

"The Gatewater Hotel!"

That had to be it. It was well known, (in some cases, for the wrong reasons), but it was frequently used by scholars and businessmen alike. He quickly straightened his Cravat and smoothed his silver coloured hair, (quite sad really, as he was only 25) and ran as fast as he could to the underground car park, where he had parked his dark red sports car, (a new model after "that incident").

"Just sit tight Layton, I am going to get you out of this.. though I fear I am going to have to get help.. from "him"...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: With a little help from his friends

Date: 24/02/2019, Location: Gatewater Hotel, time: 2:15pm

Miles Edgeworth drove to the Gatewater Hotel as quickly as he could and as soon as he had reached the hotel, he ran into the lobby, where he was met with a sickeningly familiar sight of various running around conducting an investigation. The hotel itself hadn't really changed much since the last time he'd been so unfortunate to of visited here after that last case which affected so many of them...

First, there was Maya and Pearl Fey. Maya was kidnapped by a professional assassin, who locked her away in a wine cellar without food or drink for days, which meant she nearly became one with those she channelled. The affect that had on Pearl was so hard to witness, as she was so scared of losing her, that it tore the young channelling prodigy apart

Then there was Wright. Don't get me wrong, in the courtroom, he was initially a thorn in my side, but now.. we have the same goal, which is to bring about the truth, regardless of the outcome of the case for either of us. He nearly lost a good friend, as well as bieng blackmailed into getting a not guilty verdict for a murderer by her kidnapper. That is a choice that I would not like to be faced with.

And then, there was Franziska, the 19 year old German whip-wielding prosecutor that considers me her 'Little brother". This is odd, considering she is 19 and I am 25, but still. For over a year, I allowed her and everyone else to believe I had 'chosen death" after that case that forced me to take a good long, hard look at myself and my actions. She ended up getting shot by the same man that was blackmailing Wright, in her right shoulder. The very same place her father was shot accidentally by me as a child all those years ago.

And then there was me. I came to prosecute the case when Franziska was unable to, and thankfully, after a group effort, we rescued Maya and sent the murderer Matt Engarde to jail. The only one we didn't put behind bars that day was De Killer, the man who started the chain of events in the first place. I knew that my reappearance would anger many, but I hadn't banked on how angry Wright and Franziska were.

It didn't take me long to spot the man I was looking for. He was standing towards the corner of the room, appearing to of been in the process of talking to two of his colleagues in order to get a progress report, and when he didn't get the answer he was hoping for, well let's just say he was doing a remarkable impression of a steaming kettle. Though I have to admit, it isn't hard to spot Detective Gumshoe, even in a crowd such as this.

He was just about to give them both an earful on how he was going to catch it from Ms Von Karma thanks to their slackness, when he turned around, only to come face to face with one Miles Edgeworth, whom of which wore a look that sent icicles down the detective's spine.

"Detective Gumshoe I see your salary is in need of "review' again. Tell me what's happened here, and make it quick, as I have to meet someone!" I told him, with a stance similar to the one he used in the courtroom.

"Ssir!.. I didn't know you were here, there's been a murder!" Gumshoe stammered

"...I see... and may I ask who the victim was?" I asked wearily, while quickly glancing up at the clock, which seemed to of stopped.

"Apparently, it was a well-known actress known as Sapphire Stone!" he replied, thrilled to be able to give Edgeworth a tiny gem of information they had eventually managed to establish.

"...Then it occurred to me. If Layton was staying here, and if he was arrested, then that meant...

"HOLD IT!"

"YIKES! I'm still here you know sir!" Gumshoe winced

"...Sorry Detective, I just... Never mind... Do you have a suspect yet?"

"Yes sir! We did just that, it was some Englishman, a Professor I believe..

What was his name now... Ah! It was... sir? Where are you?" Dick Gumshoe turned around, and tried to spot the gentleman prosecutor to no avail. "Oh well, I guess I had better get back to work then!" he muttered and gave a slight chuckle.

Meanwhile

Miles Edgeworth had heard enough from the good detective in order to get an idea of his friend's predicament. From talking with him, it was clear that Layton's apprentice had evaded the detectives so far, but he knew he had to find him, as he knew the poor boy would be worried sick, as well as scared.

He went through, checking the hotel rooms one by one, and was about to check another room when he saw a shadow run right past him, too small to belong to an adult.

"... I know you're out there, so you may as well come out",

A few moments later, Luke slunk out of the shadows sniffling, a shadow of his usually enthusiastic self. He still wore his usual blue outfit with his brown satchel, but his trademark cap was still missing, and his face was stained with tears.

"... Are you Luke Triton?" I asked, my heart going out to the distraught child

"... Y..yes... You must be Miles Edgeworth?" Luke asked, a look of pure sadness in his eyes

"That I am boy, now I know your mentor, and I know he would never commit murder, so we are going to find out the truth and catch the real killer!" I told him firmly in a hope to reassure him...

This seemed to do the trick, as a ghost of a smile appeared on Luke's face

"Yeah, let's do it!" he cheered, apparently boosted by that glimmer of hope

"Ok, well the first thing we need to do is to call another friend of mine"

"Oh, who's that then?"

"His name's Phoenix Wright, he is a lawyer who I know that will be able to help him"

"What makes you so sure that he is going to help us?"

"Don't worry, he will, I will make sure of it..." And with that, he began dialling a number on his phone….

"... Hello, this is Wright and Co Law Offices, how can we help you?" Came a cheery and all too familiar voice

"Hello Maya Fey, is Wright around, I need to speak to him"

"Mr Edgeworth, nice to hear from you, and sorry, you just missed Nick, he had to go out for some reason" Maya replied, while twirling a strand of her long black hair

"… I see, and when will he be back?"

"I don't think he will be long…. Wait... You're not in trouble are you?"

"I can assure you, I am not, it is in fact a friend of mine who needs his help, and did you hear about the recent murder of Sapphire Stone?"

"Oh yes, it was on the news earlier, at the Gatewater Hotel, what is it about that place?" Maya added with a shudder

"Well, this friend of mine is the prime suspect"….

"WOAH, ok, well as soon as Nick returns, I will make sure we head down to the detention centre ASAP, I promise" She assured him

"Thanks Maya, I appreciate it" and with that, he hung up

"So, is he going to help?" Luke asked him with a hopeful look on his face

"I have had assurances that he will look into it"

"That's great!"

"Well, shall we go and see how the professor is doing ourselves?"

"We can do that?"

"That we can, shall we depart?"

"Sure!"

And with that, the duo departed the hotel, and headed into his sports car, and drove off to the detention centre.

It didn't take us long to reach the detention centre and we quickly headed to the entrance of the building that was unfortunately all too familliar to me and After a few moments of me talking to the guards, we were granted permission to head in.

The detention centre still had that almost haunted look about it, dreary walls, with an equally sombre atmosphere. Within a few moments, Professor Layton came into view, a sad smile on his face, but still wearing his top hat. Some things never change...

"Ah good to see you Luke, you as well Miles" He told them

"Don't worry Professor; we'll get you out of this!" Luke assured him while  
trying to hide his doubts

"Ah my boy this is just a misunderstanding that will be cleared up soon, right  
Miles?"

"…. Unfortunately, I cannot share in your optimism; however, I have a plan"

"Oh, do tell", Layton asked, now curious

"I know someone, by the name of Phoenix Wright, another friend of mine, he's a fantastic lawyer, and my rival in court"

"I think I remember him, he helped you if I call correctly"

"You do indeed recall correctly, he made sure I wasn't wrongly convicted of murdering my father and Robert Hammond"

"Hmm…"

"I am told he will be paying you a visit later, so just sit tight, and we will try and do what we can from our end" I told my old friend, hoping to bring him some hope.

"Thanks Edgeworth, I appreciate it"….


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: A puzzling client

Date: Date: 24/02/2019, Location: Wright and Co Law Offices, time: 3:16pm

It had been nearly an hour since Mystic Maya had got off the phone from talking with Edgeworth. She vowed to stick to her promise, and to get Nick to defend this guy. However, there was a slight flaw in her immediate plan.  
"Where are you Nick?" I exclaimed to nobody in particular, as I sat at Nick's desk, surveying the room.

Their office was crying out for a clean. Nick's desk was always small, but it was almost completely covered in paperwork that he meant to "get to' about six months ago, and it was all in one, messy heap.

Then again, the purple clad acolyte had no room to talk either. Her work area was covered alright, but not in essential paperwork. It looked more like a bomb had hit it.

Her mess was a mixture of magazines relating to "The Steel Samurai' and his latest shows and the latest merchandise that was available to buy; (she knew that she would have to talk to Nick about getting an advance, so she could get the latest Nickel Samurai cards). Also thrown in the untidy mix was various food wrappers, most of which Nick had been nagging her to get rid of for what seemed like for ever.

In fact, the only clean object in the room was Charley, their potted plant, which belonged to the Late Mia Fey, her sister and Wright's mentor, as well as friend.

I was just about to bite the bullet and clean her side, when Nick strolled in through the door, carrying what appeared to be some files.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" I exclaimed as I ran over to him, nearly sending him as well as the files flying in the process.

"Nice to see you too Maya... wait... what do you want THIS TIME?" Nick asked her with a weary sigh. He always knew when Maya wanted something, as her whole manner changed...

"I am SO offended!, I had been going to say that we have a client, but you can forget it now!" I snapped at him, before fixing him with a glare.

"Oh come on Maya, don't sulk with me now... who's the client?"

"If you must know.. its Edgeworth.. Well, kind of"...

"WHAT?" he exclaimed, while wondering what his cravat wearing friend had gotten himself into this time

"Like DUH! Nick, it isn't Edgeworth HIMSELF, it's a FRIEND of HIS"...

"Oh... what's he been accused of then?"

"Murder.. Apparently he murdered that actress Sapphire Stone while staying at the Gatewater Hotel..."

"GATEWATER HOTEL?" he shrieked

"Calm down Nick!, it's just a coincidence".. I chuckled weakly

"That place is cursed"...

"Yeah, and you were not the one who was kidnapped!" I exclaimed indignantly

"You have a point.. oh well.. Call Edgeworth and tell him we will meet this "friend' of his"

"Not to worry Nick, I took care of it while you were out, we are gonna be heading there now!" I replied while I gave him one of my best smiles...

"Oh... right"... Nick replied with a sigh, as he put the files down on the floor and headed out the door, with Maya following close behind.

They stepped onto the sidewalk, and quickly hailed a taxi. As always, Maya clambered into the back seat while Nick paid for them both. This was one of the downsides of not owning a car; as you're a slave to public transport.

It didn't take them long to reach the detention centre. Once they had climbed out the taxi, they spotted Miles Edgeworth standing outside the building holding what appeared to be a hot drink, (tea of course), with an unusually dressed young boy standing next to him, while holding a drink of his own.

Edgeworth looked up and gave a small smirk, and walked over to him, the young boy following close behind.

"Well, it took you both long enough" Edgeworth remarked, while looking at the unusual duo, awaiting a response.

"Sorry about that Mr Edgeworth, it was all NICK'S fault for being slow!" Maya replied, while throwing Wright an accusing look.

"Sorry, unlike some people, I was actually WORKING!"

Before Maya could retaliate, I decided to intervene.

"Well, when you children have finished bickering, your client is expecting you"..

"About that, who exactly IS our client?" Wright asked with curiosity

"A good friend of mine, a fellow gentleman, and his name is Professor Hershel Layton"

"He's a scientist then, WOW!" Maya exclaimed with glee, due to never having met a scientist.

It was at this point, Luke finally spoke up.

"The Professor isn't a scientist, he's an archaeologist" he told them

"Hi, are you a friend of his then?" Maya asked the newcomer with a smile

"A friend and his apprentice, we solve puzzles together, my name's Luke", He replied with that classic London accent while giving a low bow.

"Nice to meetcha Luke, my name's Maya and this strange looking guy with the porcupine head here is the legendary Phoenix Wright" She told him with a huge smile

"Legendary?"

"Oh yes, his skills as a defence attorney are unrivalled"

"Really, wow!"

"So you're going to be helping out the Professor then?" Luke asked them, a look of hope in his eyes

"You bet!" Maya told him with a grin

"(Man I wish she would stop doing that, as what if I fail, I look like the bad guy)". Nick thought to himself, rather annoyed at his rather enthusiastic friend.

"Well, let's go and see him" Maya declared, before running inside.

It didn't take them long to come face to face with Layton once again, and for a moment, both Maya and Nick seemed.. lost for words...

"Ah, are you two my defense?" Layton asked as politely as possible...

"Good guess, the name's Phoenix Wright, Attorney at Law, and this is..."

"Maya Fey, manager of his Law firm!" She told him with a huge grin

"Wait what?"

But before Nick had a chance to reprimand her, Layton spoke up.

"Well, Miles speaks "highly' of you, so I know I am in good hands"

"He does?" Nick exclaimed, wearing a look of pure shock

"Oh yes.. You're the only person ever to defeat him in court"

"A valid point Nick!"

"Enough about me, could you please tell us what happened"

"Very well"...

"I came here with my young apprentice Luke Triton 2 days ago"

"I was here to meet someone here, a fellow archaeologist"

"I received a call from Miles yesterday; he wanted to meet up to talk with me"

"Luke and I had finished unpacking our things so we decided to go and meet him"

"As we headed out, we were stopped by a rather scruffy looking detective"

"He told me I was under arrest, and the next thing I knew, I was getting taken away"

"... So.. you don't know the victim?"

"No.. I know she is an actress, but not personally"...

"(no psyche locks.. so far so good)"

"Did you go anywhere near the crime scene?"...

"I don't even know where that is"...

"Do you know anything at all about the murder Mr Layton, and please be honest"...

"No.. I.. I don't"...

"Do you like puzzles?"

Wright was now confused. Yes, he was a man who liked to solve puzzles, but he was meeting a client; whom of which would be on trial for murder!  
He'd hardly call this the right time for a puzzle.  
"I love puzzles!" Maya replied with glee...

"Very well then young lady, this one's for you"

"A one-way street"

A girl who was just learning to drive went down a one-way street in the wrong direction, but didn't break the law. How come?

Maya seemed to be pondering this, whilst Phoenix watched the duo in disbelief.  
Meanwhile, Luke and Edgeworth just watched the trio, whispering to each other.

"Mr Edgeworth, I know this one, do you think one of us should help them out?" Luke whispered to him

"I worked out that puzzle within a minute Luke, but we should really allow the other two a chance to solve it"

Luke had been about to protest, as anyone could see that the boy was aching to solve yet another puzzle, when a shout rang through the room.

"HOLD IT!"

"Was she the only one on the street?"

"Excuse me?" Layton exclaimed, clearly not used to such a response from one of his puzzles.

"I have it!" Maya exclaimed with joy, before adding:

"She would have to of been walking!"

"Correct, well done Miss Fey" Layton replied with a chuckle

"I got it!"

"Aww, but I knew that"

"Never mind Luke, there are plenty more puzzles in the sea" Edgeworth reassured him.

Phoenix just sat there for a moment, unsure of what to say next, before he spoke up. "What was the point in that?"

"The point in what?"

"That puzzle, there was no logical reason for it!"

"Aww lighten up Nick, your just sulking as I solved it first!"

Nick then just pretended that he hadn't heard her, and told Layton that he would do his best in court tomorrow.

As they headed out of the building, Maya spoke up.

"So.. Miles.. Are you going to be the prosecutor then?"

"No.. this is too personal for me.. I do believe Franziska's the one taking this case"

"Anyway, I am at least able to help you; come, we can give you a lift to the crime scene"

"We?" Phoenix asked, with a puzzled look

"Yes Mr Attorney, I have been here for a while"...

"Your Luke?"

"That's right"

"Well, I will do all I can for your mentor, but right now, we need to go and gather evidence"..

And with that, the group set out for the Gatewater hotel. As they drove along, something was really bothering Wright. Layton seemed to hesitate when asked if he knew about the murder. Surely he wasn't hiding something...  
He hoped not... for all their sakes...


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: A true lawyer leaves no crime scene un- investigated.

Date: 24/02/2019, Location: Gatewater Hotel, time: 3:45pm

Coming back to this place still had the same effect for Wright. This was the place where he nearly lost one of his dearest friends, and was plunged into a lawyer's personal hell where the client was guilty. As the group walked in, they could see that the area was crawling with police, and they could see an all too familiar trench coat amongst them, barking orders at passing members of the investigation team. He swung round to greet them.

", it is good to see you, I thought you were Von Karma coming to whip me". He chuckled, and gave a sigh of sheer relief.

"Careful what you say detective, she could be coming at any moment" Edgeworth muttered, causing Gumshoe to give a yelp of fright.

"Anyway, what do you have to report?" Edgeworth asked him, his arms folded.

"Well, we have determined that the victim was finished off with a fatal blow to the head, a trophy being the murder weapon, we sent it off to the lab for analysis, but here is a photo for the time being.

"Trophy added to the court record".

"And here is the autopsy report, just in as it happens". Gumshoe added triumphantly, and handed it to Edgeworth, who scanned it and passed it onto Wright.

"Autopsy report added to the court record".

Gumshoe looked thoughtful for a moment, almost as if he was debating whether or not to ask something.

"Spit it out Detective" Edgeworth snapped

"Right away sir.. umm.. Are you assisting the defence on this one sir?". Gumshoe asked nervously

Edgeworth paused before giving his response, as if debating what response to give when he replied:

"In any way I can, I would not be foolish to take on a case this personal, nor would I want to. If you see Franziska, let her know I will stay out of her way, now, may we go and investigate the crime scene?". Edgeworth asked with a weary sigh

"Sure Sir, just scram when you hear the sound of the whip, you hear me?". Gumshoe warned, and with that, he went away.

"Well, we aren't going to get anywhere standing here, so let's move". Wright declared, and headed up to the scene.

Date: 24/02/2019, Location: Sapphire Stone's Hotel Room, time: 3:55pm.

"Wow!, you can see she what an amazing actress she was!" Maya gasped, and immediately ran over to some of the movie posters on the table. Yes, before her life was cut short, Sapphire was popular. She recently shot to fame starring in the sequel to the Nickel Samurai movie or something, Wright couldn't remember. Maya just stood there for a moment in a fan-girl trance before Nick brought her back to reality with a rather sharp reprimand.

"Maya, please remember, we are here to investigating a crime scene, not sight-seeing". Wright groaned.

"Aww.. but, ok fine… " Maya replied in a defeated tone, and put the poster back.

"So what are we looking for?" a small voice piped up, causing Wright and Maya to jump.

"You'd forgotten about me, hadn't you" Luke said meekly, looking rather hurt…

"Of- of course not, we just got too engrossed in our work" Maya offered feebly.

"In answer to your question Luke, we are looking for evidence, which will hopefully help the Professor's case" Wright added.

"Oh good, like this you mean?" And with that, he showed a stray bead that had fallen. It was light pink in colour, and had red specks over it.

"Exactly Luke, careful Wright, this boy could put you out of a job". Edgeworth noted with a smirk.

"Nrgh.." (one of these days, I shall wipe that smug look of his face)… Wright thought.

Bead added to the court record.

"Well, it is clear that there was a struggle between the victim and the killer, the place is a mess". Maya said to nobody in particular. She was right though, the room looked like a group of rhinos had run through it. Still, they needed to investigate it as it was, to avoid anyone tampering with the scene and erasing vital evidence…

WN: Going to leave it there due to a whopping headache, will try flesh this chapter out tomorrow, thanks in advance to reviews.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: A painfully puzzling encounter…

Phoenix stood there for a moment, as if trapped in his own thoughts, before a certain someone brought him back to reality.

"You know, this reminds me of a puzzle, care to solve it ?" Luke grinned

Puzzle 2: Daylight robbery

A detective was walked to a robbed jewellery store. When he arrived, he saw shattered glass on the sidewalk. Then he went in the store, and saw the clerk talking to the police. Who robbed the store, and how do you know?

Hint 1, hint 2, hint 3

"Hmm… and Maya, don't even think about interrupting me, same goes for you as well Edgeworth"… Wright stated, deep in thought, while startling Maya, who had been thinking of butting in, but was still making her mind up. Edgeworth just stood there smirking, mentally noting how he must tell Franziska about this, as it would make her happy no end.

After about five minutes of Wright just standing there, rooted to the spot, he spoke up.

"TAKE THAT!"

"Ok, it had to of been the clerk right, the detective saw the glass on the sidewalk, which means the window was broken from the inside of the store, if it was a break in, the glass would have been in the store itself right?". Wright finished, and smoothed his hair back, and awaited Luke's response.

"Correct , clearly, he would have been caught in an instant no?" Luke grinned.

"Indeed, especially if Edgeworth was on the scene"…. Wright replied, and looked at his prosecuting friend.

"Flattery will get you nowhere Wright… Edgeworth muttered, before becoming frozen to the spot, and then spluttering:

"Franziska?, how long have you been here?". Edgeworth exclaimed, not sure whether or not to stay still and argue their case or run away. A rather sharp whip helped the process of decision making to speed up quite considerably, courtesy of his "little sister", whom of which was still in her usual white ruffled attire, her brooch gleaming in the light and her whip was being waved around rather menacingly.

"The same could be said for you foolishly foolish fools, whom of which are trespassing on a crime scene, that they have no place being in!" She snapped, and whipped all four of them, before giving Wright and Edgeworth an extra lashing for good measure.

"Umm.. Excuse me Ma'am, but and are here as the defense for my mentor, Professor Hershel Layton, and they are trying to find evidence for their case". A voice piped up, causing Franziska to jump in fright and look down to see a young boy looking up at her, smiling hopefully. Man, it was hard to be nice to children, especially children of which who were in the company of that foolish Wright. However, she knew that this boy was young, and therefore would soon learn not to be foolish.

"Well, little boy, I am Franziska Von Karma, prosecuting prodigy, the Prosecutor for this case, and right now, you are all interfering with my investigation." She declared.

"Ah, little sister for an investigation to take place, surely you need an investigation team from the precinct no?" Miles countered

"Don't try and kid a kidder little brother, they are handling the investigation downstairs, and besides, for the real scene, do you really trust them to gather ALL the evidence?", she pointed out in her usual courtroom stance.

"Hmph, you do have a point there, however why were you lurking in the shadows?"

While this rather heated exchange between siblings took place, Wright had taken Maya and Luke out of the potential firing line, and was watching with complete fascination, while whispering:

"Normally, I am not a betting man, but to me, I am gonna place my bets with Miles on this one".. He whispered to them.

"Ah, but Edgey doesn't have a.. YAAH!" Maya yelped, as a certain stinging whip impacted with her skin.

"I heard that!, now get out of here at once!" She shrieked, and began whipping them all literally out the room.

"Well, that went well!". Wright muttered, his voice oozing with sarcasm.

"I couldn't agree more Wright.. in fact, while she was making her feelings toward you quite clear, I had Luke grab this"… and with that, he produced a small vial.

"Where on earth did you find that?" Maya gasped.

"I saw it under the bed, just before we encountered a certain whip wielding prosecutor, now, I am going to ask Detective Gumshoe to send this off to the lab to get this tested".. And with that, he walked away, with Luke following behind him.

"Ok.. And I thought it was me on this case!".. Wright groaned, feeling as if nothing was going his way. There were already many unanswered questions, but why was it that he felt that Franziska had found something that she didn't want them to see?...

WN: Ok, so sorry for the late update guys, have had a lot of college work to work on, as well as my other fic. Thanks so much to all who have reviewed so far, and my apologies for my grammatical errors, grammar and spelling have always been a weak area for me, and what doesn't help I know is my having Asperger's syndrome. Anyway, would be grateful for any new reviews, and will try update this again soon. :D


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: "A reunion of friends or rivals?"

As they walked out of the dressing room, Wright was accosted by a rather strange looking man and a young girl. The girl didn't seem too threatening to be honest, with her hair tied up with a red ribbon, and wearing a peach coloured dress, she reminded him of an older Pearly. The same could not be said for the man. Tall and rather menacing, he seemed to have two strands of hair on the sides of his head; standing on end in such a way that made him look like he had stuck his finger in a plug socket; his attire reminded him of a vampire's, a long jacket that was blue on the outside and red on the inside, and the rest of his outfit was red too.. The only difference was the apparent black tie he wore to complete the ensemble. Wright stood their blinking for a moment, unsure as to what to say, when a voice broke the silence.

"Luke, it is so good to see you!" it was the voice of the young girl, and her eyes sparkled with happiness at the sight of Luke, and she ran over to give him a huge hug.

"Hmph… I presume?.." this time it was the voice of the man that was standing with the young girl, and he looked toward Edgeworth for a response.

"It is indeed me, now.. you must be Don Paolo, and she must be Flora Reinhold, correct?", Edgeworth replied.

"Ah, so the old boy told you about us did he?.. that is good to hear, now.. what is this about Layton getting arrested?".. Don Paulo asked, while glaring at Edgeworth and Wright.

"I am afraid so.. he was arrested for the murder of Sapphire Stone, an actress that had been staying in this very room"… Edgeworth sighed.

"No way, the Professor would never do such a terrible thing!" Flora angrily declared, and shot a furious look in Nick's direction, which caused him to step back a little and think.

"Why is it that I always end up meeting and working the weird and scary ones?" he thought and groaned inwardly, before speaking up again:

"I know that Flora, I am Phoenix Wright, defence attorney at law, and I am going to personally represent Mr Layton in court, and prove that he is innocent, and hopefully discover the real killer in the process." He reassured her.

"Really?.. that's great, you're going to save " she cheered, and hugged Nick tightly.

"Oh.. well, that is my goal anyway".. he muttered..

"Well.. you had better save his neck on this one Wright.. otherwise you will be dealing with me, you hear me?" Don Paulo snarled…

"Funny.. I always thought you didn't like the Professor, and here you are, threatening this hapless defense attorney"… Edgeworth chuckled.

"Zip it you jumped up prosecutor, now, while we have had our differences, I wouldn't want Layton to go down for murder; if that happened, who would be my rival?"..

"You present a valid point.. though it doesn't explain what you are doing here, in Los Angeles, instead of back in London, and it takes one to know one", Edgeworth countered.

"Well.. the moment Flora read the papers.. she rang me.. it seems that she found my number in Layton's address book….. anyhow, I agreed to come here, see if we could find out more…

"Well.. are you going to the trial tomorrow?"… Wright asked, almost too afraid to hear the answer.

"Well, yes of course, we want to see you in action, and keep an eye on things, right Flora?". He cackled.

"You bet!".. she cheered, and turned to look at Maya.

"Umm.. who are you?".. she asked curiously.

"I'm Maya Fey, ace spirit medium, and assistant to old Nick here!" she replied with a cheery grin.

"A spirit medium?.. what do they do?"…

Maya explained: "We who have this ability can channel the spirits of dead people, and in turn, they can use the body of a spirit medium to talk to those who are currently living,

"Wow.. that is really interesting!" Flora's eyes widened with admiration and awe; this being the first time she had ever heard, let alone met someone with such a unique skill set.

"Thankyou!" she grinned.

"Well.. we had better let you prepare for tomorrow's trial.. oh wait.. you had better take this, I found it in the trash outside" and with that, he produced a rather familiar looking brown book..

"Wait, that's the Professor's journal!... what was it doing there?... and why is there red all over it?". Luke exclaimed, absolutely horrified.

"Your first guess is as good as mine kid, and if I am not mistaken.. that is blood"… he whispered, and with that, he vanished, and dragged Flora off with him, much to her protestations.

"We had better get this analysed as well".. Wright sighed, and handed it to Edgeworth, who nodded in agreement, and went out the room to speak with Gumshoe.

Wright sighed. He was now really concerned. He believed in Layton, but so far, he hadn't found a shred of evidence to support his beliefs, and he was up against Franziska tomorrow. And to make matters worse, he found evidence to support the belief that Layton WAS guilty.. He knew he was in for a rough ride, but something seemed wrong.. very wrong indeed…


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven: Calamities in the courtroom.

Date: 25/02/2019, time: 9:15am, location: courtroom number 2

With three slams of his gavel, the judge brought an eerie silence to the courtroom. There was quite a turnout in the public gallery today; after all, it wasn't often that a well-known professor from England was on trial in America for murdering a well-known American actress. The judge gave his usual speech of how the court was now in session for the trial of Professor Hershel Layton and asked both the defence and prosecution if they were ready.

"The defence is ready your honour", came the faithful reply of Phoenix Wright.

"Crack!", the sound of Franziska's whip rang out through the courtroom as brought it down hard onto her desk. "I am always ready your honour to whip the foolishness out of Phoenix Wright!" she snarled.

"Yikes, that lady is really scary!" Luke gulped, and hid behind Maya.

"Yeah, problem is, that is her usual persona!" Maya replied.

"S.. sorry Miss Von Karma, your opening statement if you please!" the judge yelped, and backed away in his seat.

"Very well, the victim, a well-known actress by the name of Sapphire Stone was murdered on the 24/02/2019 by the defendant Professor Hershel Layton. The autopsy report shows that the cause of her death was severe blood loss due to a fatal stab wound to the heart. In fact, I will submit it to the court record now: (autopsy report added to the court record by Franziska). Upon an investigation conducted by me, I discovered the murder weapon in the hotel room of the victim, this bloodied dagger was left by HIM at the scene of the crime!", she declared, and produced the weapon which was stained with blood in a clear plastic bag.

"Urk".. that was all Nick could say at this point. He had completely missed the murder weapon on his earlier investigation. No wonder she was grinning now like a cat that had gotten the cream. But there was worse to come.

"I also had it analysed for finger prints, and there are two sets; those of the victim and of the defendant!"

That smug statement caused uproar in the public gallery, and poor Nick felt under attack as he heard people talking:

"So this guy comes over to England and murders an innocent woman, his fingerprints are the only other set on the knife and Mr Blue suit is defending him? … it is such a disgrace!"

"… mommy, do all lawyers defend murderers?"

This would have been going on for a lot longer if the judge hadn't banged his gavel and threatened to forcefully remove those who continued causing disorder from the courtroom.

"Nick! You have to do something!" Maya exclaimed.

"Your right… OBJECTION!" Nick cried, and slammed his hand down on the desk.

"Urgh, what is it you fool?" Franziska snapped.

"Your honour, the prosecution has only so far produced circumstantial evidence and no solid proof, from either evidence or testimony; the real killer could easily of worn gloves… much like the leather ones that you wear on a daily basis!" he declared.

"Yagh! Stop whipping me!" he yelped, as Franziska attacked him furiously.

"You are a foolishly foolish fool who spouts nothing but utter foolishness and will cease doing so in my presence!". And with that she gave him a final whipping for good measure.

"Nick, hang in there!" Maya said with true determination and concern….

"Right, now that that has been ceased, the prosecution calls Summer Skye, the maid who discovered the body to the stand".

At that moment, Summer Skye climbed onto the witness stand. She seemed eerily calm; she was dressed in her work uniform and had the most stunning black hair and emerald green eyes that Nick had ever seen.

"Witness, your name and occupation!" Franziska barked.

"Summer Skye, the best cleaning maid at the new Gatewater Hotel!". She declared with her mop in hand.

"Very well Miss Skye.. wait… you aren't any relation to Ema and Lana Skye are you?" The judge asked.

"Uh who now?.. Sorry, I have no idea who you are talking about your honour!" she replied, with a look of confusion on her face.

"I must admit, that had me curious myself!" Maya muttered.

"Who was he talking about?" Luke asked.

"Ah, they were sisters that Maya and I worked with in the past". Nick exclaimed.

"Oh I see!" Luke replied with a grin.

"Shall we get back on topic and have the witness testify about what she saw that fateful evening?" Franziska ordered, her voice oozing with impatience.

"Ah yes… witness, your testimony if you please!"

"Yes your honour!"

"What I saw…"

"I was doing my usual rounds of cleaning, when I saw a man come out of the room of Miss Stone"

"I didn't really take notice of him, aside from the top hat he wore"

"I went into the room, and saw Miss Sapphire lying there in a pool of her own blood"

"Her room was in complete disarray, and I screamed!"

"That moment will haunt me for the rest of my life"…

"Oh boy, this isn't going to be fun".. Nick groaned.

"Mr Wright, your cross examination if you'd be so kind" The judge asked.

"Yes your honour!" Nick replied, trying to hide his anxiety.

WN: Gonna leave it there for now folks, in the meantime, I apologise for the late update, and hope that you will be kind enough to leave me a review when you have read this, thanks in advance!"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight: A puzzling cross examination.

WN: Like in my other fic, I have just realised that I never put in a disclaimer, so here it is. I don't own the characters of the ace attorney games or professor Layton, if I did, I would be one rich college student, lol. The only ones I own are the likes of Summer Skye; purely fan made by me, anyway, on with the story. Thanks to nazo-nin for the review, I was beginning to feel like this fic had been abandoned, so more reviews are so appreciated. Anyhow.. on with the tale…

"Cross-examination: Phoenix Wright vs Franziska Von Karma"

"I was doing my usual rounds of cleaning, when I saw a man come out of the room of Miss Stone"

"HOLD IT!.. what were you doing outside her room?" Nick questioned.

"HOLD IT! Phoenix Wright.. the woman is a CLEANER who was CLEANING the rooms; did it not occur to that foolish brain of yours that she was on her way to clean the room of Miss Stone?" she snapped.

"Urk… that's a point.."

"Hold it!... witness, surely you would have heard the crime taking place?" Luke piped up and stared directly at Summer, now that he had found a box to stand up on.

"OBJECTION; your honour, the prosecution objects to the presence of children in this court and I demand that that boy be removed from this courtroom at once!" she snapped.

"Objection overruled; Franziska there is no reason for this child to leave the courtroom and there is no rule stating he can't be here; after all, you were a child yourself when you started prosecuting-YOWCH! I'm sorry but the law stands!" the judge yelped and recoiled away from the wrath of Franziska's whip.

"Well witness, can you come up with an argument to counteract the one of my young assistant here?" Nick asked.

"Well.. I heard something… shouting.. but people who stay at hotels have rows with who they are staying with all the time right?" She uttered.

"Ah, but you knew she stayed alone!"

"OBJECTION; the witness is a mere cleaner at the hotel, how could she have possibly of known who was staying there with Miss stone… wait… ack!" Franziska raged, suddenly realising what Summer had said.

"Witness, please amend your testimony with an explanation!" the judge ordered.

"Yes your honour!". She smiled, and added:

"Being a famous actress, she had a bodyguard stay with her at the hotel at all times; how I know this?; I saw her coming in with him when she checked in at reception the day before!" she smirked.

"Ah… can someone please verify this?" the judge asked, and ordered Franziska to have the presence of a bodyguard confirmed. It took her around twenty minutes, and she stormed right back into the courtroom, while whipping everyone on the defence's side for good measure as she walked past.

"It has been confirmed that Miss Stone did have a bodyguard with her at the time of checking in. His name is Ash Burns; however it would seem that aside from the day she checked in, he was sent away for an unknown reason", Franziska explained.

"And did anyone see him hanging around her room before the murder occurred or after the murder took place?" Nick asked her.

"No… they did not.. but that still doesn't make the defendant not guilty!" she declared with a lash of her whip.

"Ah, but even you have to admit it raises the possibility of another suspect!" Nick countered.

"Only a foolish fool could cling on to such a foolishly slim remote possibility; and besides, what motive would Mr Burns have for murdering the woman that he was hired to protect? Answer me that Phoenix Wright!" Franziska demanded.

"Ah, but what reason would my client have for murdering the victim?; answer ME that Franziska Von Karma!" Nick retaliated.

"Hmph… as of yet that is unproven, but as this trial comes out I can assure you that the truth will be proven; that truth of which your client is the guilty party!" she roared.

"Anyway, on with the testimony"… the judge pleaded.

"I didn't really take notice of him, aside from the top hat he wore"

"HOLD IT, if you didn't notice him, then what was so odd about that hat?" he asked.

"Well, how many Americans do you know that go around wearing hats like that?" Summer exclaimed.

"A valid point.. but surely my client isn't the only person ever to wear a hat like that"… Nick replied.

"Foolishness will get you nowhere Phoenix Wright.. continue with your testimony witness"…

"I went into the room, and saw Miss Sapphire lying there in a pool of her own blood"

"Her room was in complete disarray, and I screamed!"

"That moment will haunt me for the rest of my life"…

"HOLD IT!... witness, what did you do after you screamed

"I ran out for some air…. What did you expect me to do?" Summer snapped.

"Well, call the police would have been a fine start, don't you think?" Nick retaliated.

"Urk!.. help me Miss Prosecutor!" Summer pleaded.

"Phoenix Wright, it is irrelevant what time the witness called the police, as she saw Mr Layton come out of the room after Miss Stone had been murdered?, as it happens, she did call the police; but it was at a later time due to the shock of finding the body, now why didn't the defendant call the police if he was innocent then; it is because he is guilty!" she declared.

"Objection!... the defense has a witness they would like to call that can easily verify the whereabouts of Professor Hershel Layton!" Nick cried.

"Ah, I like you're thinking Nick!" Maya grinned, having guessed who Nick was going to call.

"The defence actually requests calling two witnesses at the same time!" Nick added.

"Okay, that I didn't see coming"… Maya muttered.

"I demand an explanation!" Franziska demanded.

"The defence calls Luke Triton; the young apprentice of Hershel Layton who was with him at the time of his arrest and the murder; and of course the person whom he had spoken with to arrange a meeting; Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth; I figured the court wouldn't find the testimony of a child 100% reliable in their eyes, so to back him up, I will call the one other person who spoke to him that day, and that is Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth!"…

"The court has no objections at this time, Phoenix Wright, please summon your witnesses to the stand, the court will have a twenty minute recess while this is happening" The judge ordered and slammed his gavel down on the desk to bring the session to a close.

Meanwhile, Franziska was absolutely furious.. How did she not see it coming?.. still, if Wright wanted a fight… he'd get one.. She would see to it personally…."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine: Detecting a friend….

Wn: huge thanks to Seevee Snape for the review :D

Date: Date: 25/02/2019, time: 10:15am, location: courtroom lobby number 2

"Nick… even for you that was truly insane… are you sure you know what you are doing?" Maya exclaimed.

As much as Nick hated to admit it, Maya had a point. He instantly regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth, but now, he had to go along with this hair brained idea, and actually seem like he knew what he was talking about. Now all he had to do was fool people into believing that this was actually the case.

"Well… it seems like a risky idea I know… but I know what I am doing!" Nick told her with a look of pure determination, hoping it would hide the fact he did not have a clue as to how he was going to handle it in about twenty minutes time.

"Oh come now Wright… do you seriously expect me to believe that shameless display of straw grasping in the courtroom just moments ago was all part of some clever, elaborate scheme of yours to save the professor?" Edgeworth asked, his voice oozing with sarcasm.

"Well I just… oh, alright Edgeworth, you got me okay, but I am going to make this work… honest!" Nick pleaded.

"Hmph… it's not me that you need to fool… it's…." Poor Edgeworth was cut off yet again mid-sentence, as an all too familiar whip impacted hard against Wright's shoulder.

"Phoenix Wright, what the hell do you think you are playing at; answer me you fool!" she snarled.

"Umm…" that was all that poor Nick could say at that point.

"Inspector Chelmey?" Luke suddenly exclaimed, and ran over to a rather well built man who was wearing a coat similar to that of Detective Gumshoe.

"It is good to see you Luke… now what trouble has Layton gotten himself into now Mr…?" Chelmey threw Edgeworth a questioning look.

"Miles Edgeworth, friend of Hershel Layton and Prosecutor… well, not for this trial anyway; in answer to your other question he has been falsely accused of murdering the actress Sapphire Stone; and here is a question for you… who the heck are you?" Edgeworth asked.

"Inspector Chelmey, I work at Scotland Yard…" he replied, speaking with a slightly rough British accent.

"And what is a British detective doing here?" Edgeworth countered.

"Well, don't tell him I told you this, but I was worried when I first read the news of his arrest" He explained.

"Wow… it made it all the way back to England?" Luke exclaimed.

"That it did Luke… it isn't every day a well-known English professor is arrested in the murder of an American actress" Chelmey replied.

"Oh… hey.. is Barton with you?" Luke asked.

"Barton.. yes he is.. he was trying to locate the detective in charge of the investigation…. " he trailed off, having suddenly realised that it wasn't the wisest of decisions.

"Oh good.. Now , do you need to ask me anything before I go on the witness stand with ?" Luke asked politely.

"Well… I need you both to sum up the events of the morning… did Layton leave your company at any point?" Wright questioned…

"No… not that I can recall"…

"Wait.. you are putting a child on the witness stand?" Chelmey gasped in disbelief.

"Yep… that's Nick for you!" Maya chimed in.

"And you are?" Chelmey asked, eying the spirit medium with a look of curiosity.

"Maya Fey, ace spirit medium, and co-manager of Wright and Co Law Offices!" she cheered.

"Okay…" Chelmey acknowledged her, still unsure of what to make of her.

"Wright… we had better get back in there, Mr Chelmey, I know you are not on the force here, but I am sure detective gumshoe would be grateful for the assistance you can give in this case" Edgeworth added, and looked towards Gumshoe, who had overheard everything.

"Uh sir I….." Gumshoe tried to protest.

"Scruffy… your salary is up for review soon…. Don't make the results be negative… now remove yourself from my sight!" Franziska snapped, and chased him out of the courtroom.

After that display of insanity, Wright prepared to head back into the courtroom, however he wished he could shake the feeling that had been following him around all morning like a smell similar to that of Larry Butz first thing in the morning; the feeling that he was going to be eaten alive in the courtroom….

WN: Gotta go, so this is a bit shorter I am afraid, sorry about that folks. Will try update again soon. Next chapter is the double testimony; in the meantime, all reviews are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter ten: A foolish double testimony

Wn: thanks to all of my lovely reviewers, believe me, it is so appreciated. Just realised, thanks to a little help from a friend of mine, I have accidentally caused a rather blatant contradiction in the story, so I shall now try and work it into the story! (I hope…) thanks again crazyyoshi

Everyone made their way back into the courtroom and everyone went back to their respective places. Miles and Luke had just climbed up onto the witness stand, when the judge brought the court to order.

"Right, is the defence ready?" He enquired.

"Yes your honour".. Nick replied, trying to steel himself for the world of hurt that he felt like he was about to enter.

"And the prosecution… Miss Von Karma… what is the matter?" The judge was now concerned at the rather alarmed and angry young woman sitting on the side of the prosecution; slamming her fist repeatedly down upon her desk.

"Kill Gumshoe… Your honour… before we embark on the quest of seeing how foolish Phoenix Wright is, I am now forced to admit an error of foolishness of the prosecution.

"Oh?... this should be good…." Nick muttered.

"Well… it was initially concluded that the cause of death was a blow to the head courtesy of this trophy" Franziska exclaimed, and brought it up from under the desk. Nick and Maya gasped. It was the same one that Gumshoe was telling them about, it was stained with red.

"Very well… what is the problem with that?" The judge exclaimed.

"Well the thing is… it was then later concluded the cause of death was a fatal stab wound, since then, it has been found the poor victim suffered a blow to the head and a stab wound, however it is unclear as to which finished her off"… she finished, while looking like she needed to punch somebody.

"OH!... I see… so the autopsy report is inconclusive?... then why submit it?" The judge exclaimed.

"At the time your honour, I didn't notice…. I had used what I thought to be "credible" evidence from a certain foolish detective who will be finding himself out of a job after this trial for making me look like a fool!" she snapped.

"I see…." (autopsy report discarded from the court record from the time being)

"Wow… who would of guessed that Franziska would get something like that wrong?" Wright muttered. He thought something seemed a little off…

"Miss Von Karma.. did the trophy have any fingerprints?" Nick asked.

"There was a set to faint to get a proper analysis"… she explained.

"A ha!... then this means that there is a higher chance that my client isn't the guilty party!" Nick declared.

"Not so fast Phoenix Wright, before the prosecution is even willing to even consider such foolish claims, I require more evidence; that being said, I demand we get this… "double testimony over with!" she snapped.

"Oh dear.. Nick, be careful, she looks like she is gonna explode!" Maya whispered.

"I will… gulp" Nick replied, now feeling ill again.

"Witnesses, state your names and occupations, now!" she snapped, and readied her whip.

"Is there really any need to.. alright little sister.. I shall humour you for now…. As the person providing the first half of this testimony, my name is Miles Edgeworth, state prosecutor, and colleague of the woman over there who happens to have severe anger issues" He calmly stated.

"And I am Luke Triton, the assistant of the great Professor Hershel Layton!" Luke declared with a grin.

"Very well.. as this is the first time that the court has tried something such as this, how do you want to play this Mr Wright?" The judge asked.

"You are asking me your honour?" Nick exclaimed.

"Oww!" Nick yelped, as once again, Franziska whipped him, and yelled: 

"FOOL! You are the fool who requested this foolish idea in the first place!" She snarled.

"Oh yeah… I mean, yes of course!" Nick stated…

(Think man wright… before she kills you!) he thought anxiously.

"The defence requests that Miles Edgeworth takes the first half of the testimony, then Luke Triton takes up the second half with what happened after the phone call!" Nick declared.

"Very well… Miles Edgeworth…. Please begin" The judge asked.

"Yes your honour"… and with that, Miles began.

"Witness double testimony part 1 by Miles Edgeworth: The Phone call."

"I was sitting in my office when I decided to call him"

"It wasn't often that Layton was in town; the only reason I knew that he was down to the fact that when I was walking to the courtroom, I spotted "that hat" moving through the crowd.

"I called him to ask if he and Luke wanted to meet me for a cup of tea at a local tearoom… this was at around 11:55am."

"We agreed to meet up at around 1pm, which would give them enough time to unpack"

"After we had arranged everything, we hung up, and I decided to finish up some case work"

"What happened after that?... only Luke and Layton know"… Miles Finished.

"Alright… Phoenix Wright.. your cross examination please!" The judge ordered.

"Cross Examination Part 1: Franziska vs Wright"

"I was sitting in my office when I decided to call him"

"It wasn't often that Layton was in town; the only reason I knew that he was down to the fact that when I was walking to the courtroom, I spotted "that hat" moving through the crowd.

"HOLD IT!... there has to be more than one person who owns that hat… how could you have been 100 % sure that it was my client?" Nick asked.

"That is easy enough to answer, firstly, the hat is custom made and from England; reducing the possibility by quite a margin, and secondly…. There was a big meeting going on at a local university.. Ivy League I believe for some of the famous archaeologists of the world, and I knew that Layton would probably be there" Miles explained.

"Very well, Mr Wright, was there anything useful in that part of the testimony?" the judge questioned.

"Not really your honour… I think that the second half will be more helpful" he replied.

""Witness double testimony part 2 by Luke Triton: The arrest"

"After they talked, the Professor and I set to work unpacking our cases"

"We were staying at the Gatewater Hotel… I only learnt of its "history" later on"

"It didn't take us long to unpack… I would say it was at around 12:45pm when after we had talked for a bit, we set out to meet Mr Edgeworth"

"We were walking into the lobby… "

"When a man called out that the professor was under arrest!"

"Before I knew it… the professor was taken away!"

"He couldn't have done it…. He never left me!" Luke wailed.

"Oh dear… Mr Wright… your cross-examination please, but try not to be your usual hard self!" the judge ordered.

"I take offence to that… but yes your honour" Nick replied.

"Cross Examination Part 2: Franziska vs Wright"

"After they talked, the Professor and I set to work unpacking our cases"

"We were staying at the Gatewater Hotel… I only learnt of its "history" later on"

"HOLD IT!... what do you mean by its… history?" Nick asked.

"Well… the murder of the actor of course!" Luke replied politely…

"Oh yeah…." How could Nick forget that?... it was that case that nearly cost him the life of one of his closest friends!...

"It didn't take us long to unpack… I would say it was at around 12:45pm when after we had talked for a bit, we set out to meet Mr Edgeworth"

"HOLD IT!... Luke.. I know that this is difficult… but could you tell the court about what you and the Professor talked about"… Nick pressed.

"Alright… it wasn't anything special… we just talked about how it was nice to get away from England for a while… after all, it is my first time in America; and we talked about some of our past adventures, such as when we visited the phantom town of Folsense and met a vampire!" He exclaimed.

"A vampire?" Nick asked in shock. Now he had heard it all.

"Yes… will tell you about it later Mr Wright!" Luke replied.

"Okay… (now I am concerned… still, I have no room to talk, considering I talk with my dead mentor on a daily basis!)

"Please continue witness" The judge asked.

We were walking into the lobby… "

"When a man called out that the professor was under arrest!"

"Before I knew it… the professor was taken away!"

"HOLD IT!... Who was this man?" Nick enquired.

"Well… all I remember was he seemed to be wearing a rather dirty trench coat" Luke replied.

"Oh HIM… that is scruffy for you" Franziska replied in a dismissive tone.

""He couldn't have done it…. He never left me!"

"HOLD IT!... Are you sure that he was with you all the time?" Nick asked.

"Yes of course…. " Luke replied firmly.

"Your honour, this didn't prove a thing. if the court believes what the boy has said as the truth, then how come they didn't hear the murder take place then hmm… this is only because Layton is the culprit, and the boy is protecting his mentor!" Franziska declared.

"Ah yes, but neither did Summer, are you not including the possibility that she is the killer?" he shot back

"HOLD IT!"

"Your honour…. I have an idea as to why nobody heard the murder" A certain detective exclaimed, with Inspector Chelmey following close behind.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: An unheard of truth?

WN: Thanks to those who have reviewed here and off site, your thoughts are greatly appreciated :D

The court fell silent as Gumshoe and Chelmey made their way into the courtroom.

"Well, we don't have all day detective, spit it out!" Franziska snapped. Gumshoe cringed slightly, and Chelmey just shook his head in despair of his American counterpart, but said nothing.

"Yes of course Sir!... well, the thing is, once Mr Chelmey began co-managing the investigation team, we hit upon an interesting theory; what if the actress wasn't murdered in her room, but somewhere else entirely?"

"Ah…. Why didn't that occur to me?" Nick exclaimed.

"Why you foolish!" Franziska was about to whip Gumshoe again, when Chelmey reached out and grabbed the lethal weapon right from the grasp of its owner, and snapped: "I shall take that!" and promptly stuffed it into his coat pocket, leaving everyone, including Miles and Franziska utterly speechless. It occurred to Nick that Inspector Chelmey must deal with some hardened criminals back in England, as most people here who dared have the audacity to challenge Franziska have rarely lived to tell the tale, yet here is the inspector taking the woman's prized possession, and leaving her lost for words…. The man should be given a medal for bravery!

"Uh… Detective, please elaborate on how you and the "Inspector" came to this conclusion" Franziska eventually asked, while looking stunned.

"Sure sir!... well, we realised that everything seemed a bit off… the autopsy proved inconclusive, so we returned to the scene of the crime" Gumshoe began.

"And we worked out that with both injuries that the victim allegedly sustained, then there should have been far more blood on the floor of the room; another thing, the position of the victim's body was at an angle not fitting with her injuries" Chelmey finished.

"So.. what are you saying… is that she was murdered at a different time and place?" Wright questioned.

"That is the conclusion we have come to… and we also have another reason for this… at the time of 11:20am, she was actually seen near the entrance of Gatewater Hotel with this man…" Chelmey explained, and pulled out a picture of a guy that was unfortunately all too familiar to Miles, Nick and Franziska…

"Tell me that isn't …" Franziska gasped in disbelief. 

"LARRY BUTZ?" Maya exclaimed.

Nick couldn't believe it either. How did he manage to somehow get himself involved in nearly all of the murder trials he had worked on?... It defied all forms of logic….

"He is the other last known person to be seen with Miss Stone, and was arrested at the reception desk of Gatewater Hotel less than an hour ago" Gumshoe added.

"Miss Von Karma, Phoenix Wright, the trial for Professor Hershel Layton will be suspended for two days while both sides investigate this matter, court is adjorned!" And with three slams of the gavel, the judge brought today's proceedings to an end.

Nick just couldn't believe it. First a friend of Miles is arrested and now Larry. He knew neither of them could be the killer, but how did Larry of all people manage to get caught up in this case… he had to find out more... from the man himself…. And if neither of them were the killer… then where was the real murderer hiding?

Wn: I know this is really short, but have to go, will try and extend the next chapter, which will hopefully be up sometime this week.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: A pearl of wisdom….

WN: Huge thanks to nazo-nin, Kirazu Haruka and Crazyyoshi of bulbagarden for their reviews. Believe me, it is so appreciates. Now, onward with what I hope to be a slightly longer chapter… :D

Date: Date: 25/02/2019, time: 11:30am, location: courtroom lobby number 2

To say that Prosecutor Franziska Von Karma was currently a rather angry, unhappy woman was quite an understatement, in fact the best way to describe her mood was most likely… toxic. And woe betide any detective that dared get in her way… or certain defence attorneys. She was still busy fuming and pacing up and down the courtroom lobby, when a certain someone appeared in front of her.

"Franziska…." Miles began.

"What is you want traitor?" she snapped.

"Now now "big sister" no need to take that tone with me, I was only doing what needed to be done, now we need to do a double investigation" Edgeworth started, when he was cut off yet again.

"You seriously expect me to work with you?... I am doing this alone, had been fine on my own.. and always will… just stay out of my way little brother!" she snarled, and reached down for her whip, which of course was still in the possession Inspector Chelmey. This of course made the young prosecutor angry enough to explode, and tried to storm off, and accidentally crashed right into Gumshoe, who had been carrying a steaming cup of coffee which in turn went all over Franziska.

"YOU FOOLISH FOOL!" She roared, and suddenly slapped him as hard as she could right across the face before storming out of the courthouse.

"Gulp… I am so fired" Gumshoe whimpered. While Franziska didn't have her whip, she still could bring down a lot of pain and lack of instant noodles with just one very well placed death glare. At the rate things were going financially, he would end up competing with Missile for scraps of food from the dog food can. This wasn't going well….

"Detective Gumshoe, what do you have for me?" Miles asked the hapless detective.

"Well sir, we have that Hairy Lutz guy in custody right now; for the past fifteen minutes, he has been in questioning with the police, but should hopefully be out in say 30 minutes.

"Hey Mr Scruffy Detective, Mr Edgeworth, have you seen Mystic Maya and Mr Nick anywhere at all?" came the polite enquiry of a certain young spirit channelling prodigy who had once again ran all the way to the courthouse from Kurain village, and for some reason looked completely unfazed by the prolonged period of running.

Edgeworth had jumped in surprise at seeing Pearl Fey in front of him all of a sudden, but had been about to answer her when Maya cut in.

"Did somebody mention my name?" She asked, before taking a huge bite of burger. After the suspension of the trial, Maya had begged and pleaded with Nick to take her and Luke out for a quick burger as the smell of the burger stand outside the courthouse had been making her "starving hungry". Nick had tried in vain to protest, as the only money he had on him was for the rent. As ever, poor Nick had to give in, and besides, he wanted to give Luke something to cheer him up. Maya had been about to take another bite out of her burger, when she suddenly gasped.

"What the heck are you doing here Pearly; I left you in Kurain with the elders!" she exclaimed.

"Well, I wanted to see Mr Nick and to check up on you, but I see you two were having a romantic lunch together, so now I am really happy!" the young spirit medium was now grinning like a Cheshire cat.

Now it was Nick's turn to look startled. "Wait Pearls, I only took her out for a burger as a.. oh never mind, I can never make you see sense" He sighed, knowing that was the one area that he couldn't get Pearls to see sense without hurting her deeply and crushing her matchmaking dreams.

"Never mind, now I wanted to come and help out on this investigation, can I Mr Nick…. Please?" she asked with wide eyes.

"Alright Pearls…." Nick sighed, and tossed the remaining bite of his burger into the trash, now having lost his appetite.

"Aww, what did you do that for Nick, that was such a waste of good food!" Maya huffed.

"You ate enough already Maya… " Nick began to say, when he looked down and saw Luke.

"Oh sorry Luke, let me introduce you both, Luke Triton, this young lady here is Pearl Fey, Pearl Fey, this is Luke Triton, the assistant of Professor Hershel Layton" Nick exclaimed.

"A pleasure to meet you Miss Fey" Luke said with a small smile, and nodded.

"Likewise…. Though please call me Pearl" She replied, and blushed slightly.

Maya chuckled at the scene. Was this Pearl's first crush?"

At that point, Edgeworth cut in.

"Wright, they should have finished with Larry by now, don't you thinkwe should get going and hear that fool's side of the story?" he asked.

"A valid point…. Let's go!" Nick declared, and with that, they headed to the detention center in Mr Edgeworth's car. It didn't take them long to get there, and as they walked in, Nick couldn't shake the feeling of dread as the saying "abandon hope all ye who enter here" crept into his mind. Still, it was Larry, what could go wrong?"

"HELP ME NICK, I DON'T WANNA DIE!" Larry wailed in his cell.

Nick stood corrected. If it was Larry, **everything **could go wrong…..


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Languishing Larry's tale of woe….

WN: Thanks to crazyyoshi for reviewing off site, and for those who have added me to their list of subscriptions. :)

"Alright Larry, just calm down, stop wailing, and tell me exactly what happened" Nick demanded.

This unfortunately didn't work, as Larry still kept wailing. In fact, it was only when Miles Edgeworth yelled "**OBJECTION!" **and threatened to call his "big sister" over to the detention centre to have a little "chat" with him, did the wailing turn into whimpering.

"Alright… now Larry, tell us everything that happened please….." Nick asked, determined to get the whole truth in one session out of Larry at least once.

"Alright Nick, just cut a dying man some slack!" Larry groaned, and began to give the group a quick recap of all the events that had taken place that unfortunate day, leading up to his arrest…

_Out of Court Witness Testimony Larry Butz: What really happened_

"I had always been a huge fan of Sapphy, and had badly wanted to meet her in person"

"I had gone to Gatewater Hotel that morning, as I was gonna apply for a job there"

"But, as I was walking along, I saw the girl of my dreams!"

"I went over to ask her out, and was totally shocked to discover it was Sapphy!"

"She said that she was always pleased to meet a fan, and actually autographed something for me to keep as a memento of our meeting, though that dazzling smile she gave me has left a permanent autograph on my heart"

"Unfortunately after ten minutes, Sapphy suddenly looked at her watch and bolted!"

"Talk about leaving a guy hanging"… Larry gave a wistful sigh…

"A couple of hours later, I was turned down for the job, so I set out to drown my sorrows in soda"

"But as I headed out of that hotel, hoping to get another glimpse of my Sapphy….."

"I was arrested for Sapphy's murder!"

"YOU HAVE GOTTA HELP ME NICK, EDGEY, PLEASE!" He wailed, doing a remarkably good impression of Ron De Lite.

"Well Nick, from what I can gather, Larry is even more desperate than we thought, though I think there is something there in that "testimony" that can actually help us" Maya reasoned.

"(She's right… I think I have possibly found an opening to attack here" Nick muttered.

":_What really happened cross examination: _ Larry vs Wright"

"I had always been a huge fan of Sapphy, and had badly wanted to meet her in person"

"HOLD IT!... sapphy?" Nick questioned, almost too afraid to hear the answer

"Like DUH! Nick, he means Sapphire Stone of course!" Maya exclaimed.

"Well yeah Nick… say…. Is she single?" Larry lent over and whispered in such a tone that only Nick could hear it.

"Urgh… I thought you were grieving for your "sapphy?" Nick retorted.

"Yeah.. that is a valid point… still, a guy has to look to the future right Nick?" He replied with a grin.

"(argh… why do I always get either the weird or just plain foolish… ack! I sound like Franziska… I need to take a break … far away from here!) " Nick thought to himself.

"I had gone to Gatewater Hotel that morning, as I was gonna apply for a job there"

"But, as I was walking along, I saw the girl of my dreams!"

"HOLD IT!... job?... weren't you "Laurence Deauxnim, the successful artist last time we met?" Nick questioned.

"And as a stand in for the steel samurai" Edgeworth chimed in.

"Oh really... since when did that happen?" Nick and Maya, (who tuned in at the mention of the steel samurai) asked in unison.

"A long story Wright… unfortunately, wherever Larry goes, misfortune is sure to follow any attorneys in the area, which happened to be me and Franziska at that time" Edgeworth replied, shuddering at the memory.

"Yeah… well, it just wasn't for me Nick…. After all, a guy likes to …. " Larry started

"Keep his options open, now continue with the testimony already!" Edgeworth barked.

"Sheez, have patience already Edgey!" Larry gave a weary sigh, and continued.

""I went over to ask her out, and was totally shocked to discover it was Sapphy!"

"She said that she was always pleased to meet a fan, and actually autographed something for me to keep as a memento of our meeting, though that dazzling smile she gave me has left a permanent autograph on my heart"

"HOLD IT!. When you discovered it was Sapphire, what did she autograph for you?" Nick questioned.

"Ah, that was my sketch book!" Larry grinned, and pulled it out. (sketchbook added to the court record)

"Hey… I thought you were no longer a professional artist?" Luke piped up. He had been keeping quiet throughout to allow Mr Wright to do his job, but even he needed to satisfy his curiosity.

"Yeah… though I still like to sketch every now and then for fun ya know kid" Larry replied.

"Oh right…." Luke muttered.

"Unfortunately after ten minutes, Sapphy suddenly looked at her watch and bolted!"

"Talk about leaving a guy hanging"… Larry gave a wistful sigh…

"HOLD IT.. why did she run like that, surely your chat up lines weren't that bad?" Nick questioned.

"Well no… all she said was "Mr Daws!" And ran as fast as she could back into the hotel" Larry replied with wide eyes.

"Mr Daws….. hmm…. That could be important" Nick muttered.

"A couple of hours later, I was turned down for the job, so I set out to drown my sorrows in soda"

"But as I headed out of that hotel, hoping to get another glimpse of my Sapphy….."

"I was arrested for Sapphy's murder!"

"YOU HAVE GOTTA HELP ME NICK, EDGEY, PLEASE!"

"HOLD IT….. Inspector Chelmey…. Who was it that called the police in the first place?" Edgeworth asked.

"Well that detective said something about an old lady… she should be out from questioning now… shall we go take a look?" Chelmey enquired.

"Agreed" And with that, Nick, Chelmey and Edgeworth headed out to see if the witness was out. Nick silently prayed it would be one that would be informative, and easy to cross examine…. However he was wrong…

"EDGEY POO!" A certain oldbag squealed and hurtled towards them at an alarming speed.

At that moment Edgeworth went a ghostly shade of white, and bolted from the room and into the adjoining cell next to Larry, and kept muttering,…

"Not her.. anyone but her… she's so… argh!"

Nick just held his head in his hands and groaned. He was in for a **very long **week"…..


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter fourteen

WN: Quick message to thank Seevee Snape and Crazyyoshi again for their reviews, remember the more reviews I get, the sooner I will update :D (note, feeling rather ill, so am gonna put up a shorter chapter tonight, and a longer one over the next few days)

"EDGEY! You can't hide your true feelings from me forever you know; we are meant to be!" Wendy declared, and tried in vain to barge past Nick, Chelmey and Gumshoe.

"KEEP THAT DEMON AWAY FROM MEEEEEEEEE!" Edgey shot back and recoiled further into the cell; much to the amusement of Maya, Larry, Luke and Pearly.

"Oh dear, I think that Mr Edgeworth is having a little bit of a "stalker problem" Maya muttered, and instinctively pulled Pearly and Luke away to a safer distance in case Oldbag managed to break through the defence barrier that Chelmey, Nick and Gumshoe had put up between the her and the entrance to the cells.

"Miss Oldbag, just calm down and get a grip, and tell us what we need to know!" Nick stated firmly.

"Get out of my way Whippersnappers!" She roared and tried to barge past them once again. This was when Inspector Chelmey tried a different approach in handling this "witness".

"Miss Oldbag, I can easily see that you are a woman who is an upstanding member of the community; you have information that could help put a murderer behind bars, now could you please tell us exactly what happened?" he asked curtly.

"Ooh, I like a man with authority" Wendy replied with a dreamy smile, having found a new victim to hound till the ends of the earth. Nick had to admit that Wendy Olbag was one determined lady. Even though most of the men she adored were always unattainable, she still made sure that her love for them was known; and would hound her latest crush to the ends of the earth….. She was a lot like Larry in many ways, heck they could get together!... wait… eurgh.. That was a thought Nick could easily have lived without, and shuddered before asking the Oldbag:

"Miss Olbag, we know that you are the reason for Larry Butz being in jail at this present moment in time, now could you please tell us exactly what you saw?" Nick asked, his patience already at its maximum.

"I am not telling you… I will however tell the good inspector here!" she beamed, and gave the rather alarmed Inspector Chelmey a look of total fangirl adoration.

"Look, just tell us what happened already!" Chelmey snapped irritably.

"Oh alright; as long as I get to see either you or Edgey afterwards!" She pleased, and began:

_Out of Court Witness Testimony Wendy Olbag: "What I witnessed"_

"I had been heading into the Gatewater Hotel that morning, when I saw "her"

"As I am a huge fan of her work, I thought that I would go and meet her, after all, how often does it happen that you get a chance to meet someone as famous and as brilliant as her?"

"But… as I got closer…"

"I saw her talking to "that man"

"I am always interested in the conversations of my favourite celebrities, so I thought I would listen in"

"After about ten minutes of them deeply engrossed in conversation, she suddenly looked terrified, and ran as if the hounds of hell were chasing her!"

"HE killed her… I know it!" She Snarled.

"Okay… now for the cross examination, what little help it will be" Nick muttered and began:

":_What I witnessed cross examination: Oldbag _vs Wright"

"I had been heading into the Gatewater Hotel that morning, when I saw "her"

"HOLD IT!... "her?" Nick questioned.

"Well Sapphire Stone of course, who else do you know is that beautiful?" she snapped.

"Oh.. just carry on!" Nick replied in a rather exasperated tone.

"But… as I got closer…"

"I saw her talking to "that man"

"Hold it!... that man being Larry Butz I take it?" he questioned.

"Yes, that's him, he's the murderer!" she declared, and carried on.

"I am always interested in the conversations of my favourite celebrities, so I thought I would listen in"

"HOLD IT!... What were they talking about?" Nick asked.

"Well, they seemed to be talking about art mostly… then she gave him something… a piece of paper I believe… I don't know" she replied.

"Right… carry on Miss Oldbag" Chelmey instructed.

"After about ten minutes of them deeply engrossed in conversation, she suddenly looked terrified, and ran as if the hounds of hell were chasing her!"

"HE killed her… I know it!"

"HOLD IT!... how could you be so sure…. ?" Nick questioned.

"He threatened her!... he threatened her with death if she didn't see him again, that's why she fled for her life!.. though I guess he caught up with her…" She sighed and shook head.

"Miss Oldbag… you do know that there are now two suspects in her murder?" Nick added.

"Oh really?... who's the other" She asked.

"A professor from England" Chelmey answered.

"But it has to be him!... I wanted to find her again, as she dropped this in her escape!" she declared, and produced from her pocket… a pink diary.

"Miss Oldbag, that could contain vital evidence for the case, you need to hand it over now!" Chelmey exclaimed.

Oddly, Wendy handed it over without a fight.

"Miss Oldbag, I need you to come with me and the other detective down to the precinct so we can officially take your statement, is that alright with you?" Chelmey enquired.

"Well of course! Anything I can do to help!" she grinned, and with that, Gumshoe, Wendy and Chelmey left the room.

Nick just stood there holding the diary. It had to contain evidence that would help him… but it could also contain evidence that could work against him… and better yet… where was the diary key?" Nick muttered, noticing the magenta coloured diary had a sort of padlock on it… as if guarding something… something very bad indeed.

WN: Well, that's me for now, got to go, in the meantime would be really greatful for any reviews guys :D


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

WN: First off, a HUGE thank you to all those who have kindly reviewed, (especially Kongu123 who took the time to review all 14 chapters! Hugely appreciated dude) After I have finished this story, I will most likely put a revised version of this (to make more sense!) anyhow, here is the latest from me… enjoy

For a moment, Nick just stood looking at the diary he had held in his hand for the past fifteen minutes. This was the second diary to appear during this investigation, as the other had been the journal that belonged to the Professor… the only difference being the one in his hand **wasn't **covered in blood. He had reservations about reading the personal thoughts of a dead woman; it just seemed too much of an invasion of her privacy. Though then again…. It could also hold vital clues as to who her killer really is. Eventually, he made up his mind, and set about trying to open the diary.

After about fifteen minutes of wrestling with the lock on the accursed thing, Nick had been about to go and find a way to pick the lock, when he heard giggling coming from behind him. Nick swung round; now humiliated at being caught trying to unpick it with such an appalling success rate, and found that the giggling was coming from none other than Maya Fey, whom of which was standing by the side of Mr Edgeworth, (who had decided it was safe to come out, and besides, they needed to make a hasty getaway as they felt their sanity ebbing away as they were forced to listen to more of Larry's ghastly chat up lines at poor Maya, (this enraged Pearly no end, as she kept insisting to an oblivious Larry that Maya was "taken") as well as Luke and Pearly. There were a few moments of a rather… awkward silence, before Luke decided to speak up.

"Mr Wright.. sir, are you having trouble opening that diary?... " he asked politely.

"Umm… yes… it is rather hard to open a diary without the key…. Unless anyone knows where I can find a lock pick" Nick admitted.

"Well… I can help… as long as you solve this puzzle for me!" Luke offered.

Nick looked startled for a moment. How was a child so young so obsessed with puzzles?... still, he had no other choice.

"Sure… what's the puzzle?" Nick asked with a slight note of hesitation.

Luke smiled at him, and gave him the puzzle: Puzzle 3: "Unlocked?"

"I have keys that open no locks, space but no room, and you can enter me but not go into me, what am I?"

Hint 1, hint 2, hint 3

For a moment, Nick just stood there, blinking. He had already tried to approach the puzzle the same way he approached trials, but then failed. So he began trying to look at the puzzle another way. Meanwhile, while Nick and Luke were having a puzzle session, Maya, Pearl and Edgeworth were having a whispered discussion.

"So… I take it you two have solved it as well?" Edgeworth asked the spirit channelling pair.

"Yep… we think it's a keyboard, after all, a keyboard has keys… but can't be locked, you can press the enter button to enter a programme or word… are we correct Mr Edgeworth?" Maya whispered.

"I came to the same conclusion… logic is a fine thing…. Though I am curious… when did you two use a computer?" he replied.

"Ah, Mystic Mia showed us both how to use her computer once when we visited her offices… that is before they became Mr Nick's offices…. But it was a lot of fun to use… Mystic Maya has even talked of getting one of these things for our village… did you know you can send a letter to anybody now with it… without having to go to a post box Mr Edgeworth?" Pearly quietly exclaimed.

"That I did Pearl…. Hey, I bet you both an ice cream after the trial that Wright won't be able to solve the puzzle…" Edgeworth replied with a smirk.

"Aww… that is a bit mean to poor Nick…but then again… I'm sure that he will!" Maya lied, as she too had the same opinion as Mr Edgeworth, and the thought of free ice cream seemed too good to miss.

"How could you do that to Mr Nick, your special someone?" Pearly was appalled at how Maya was using Mr Nick's lack of puzzle solving skills to gain free food.

Maya had been about to explain, when they were interrupted:

"EUREKA!" Nick declared.

"Hey, that's **my **line Wright!" Edgeworth snapped, and threw Nick one of his finest death glares.

"Gulp… sorry Edgeworth… umm… I think the answer is a keyboard"… Nick asked.

"Correct!" Luke grinned.

"Now, if I may?" Luke asked, and looked toward the diary.

"Yes of course…. " Nick replied, and handed it to him.

Luke seemed to study the diary for a few moments, before pressing down hard on the lock, which produced a light "click" and the cover of the diary became open to them.

"How did you…." Nick exclaimed, now feeling rather foolish.

"I realised that the lock was far bigger than most ordinary diary locks, so I decided there had to be a trick way to open it" Luke explained.

"Ah… well… should we take a look?... at the last entry, that is the one I think will give us the most insight….." Nick suggested.

"Agreed, don't keep us in suspense now Wright!" Edgeworth demanded.

"Urk!... okay, let's see…" Wright regained his composure, and leafed through the diary till he got to the last entry, and began reading aloud: Date: 24/02/2019.. ah… the day of the murder!... hang on, sorry…

Dear Diary…

I really have bitten off more than I can chew. I thought it would be alright… that they would never find out that I am seeing them both, but the worst case scenario has come to pass. Five months ago, I started dating my bodyguard… Ash, but then I gained a new manager…. Oh, he is so wonderful, my lovely Phil…. We began dating in secret a week later… But then one of them found out… he called me late last night… threatening to kill him and then kill me… I am sure he's just sounding off.. but there was something about the way he spoke to me that sent a chill down my spine… I have to make this right… I have to see him today, try and reason with him… I am so scared diary…"

Sapphire.

There was a stunned silence for a few moments, before Edgeworth spoke up.

"Well… I think it's time we paid Ash Burns and this "Phil" character a little visit"…..

WN: Well, gonna leave it there. Next up, psyche locks will be making their triumphant debut in the next chapter, and more secrets are going to be uncovered…. But where will it leave Wright and Co?. Anyway, I hope you will all enjoy, and hopefully review. Note, while I am trying to write the next chapters for my fanfics, I thoroughly recommend the works of the following:

Kongu123, Chao-der, Horch, Izzu, MexMarco, Spadework2, pearls1990, Moonlight Shining, Grizz . All of which are currently writing stories that I am following…..


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen: A whole Lotta Trouble

WN: First off, a whopping thanks to all those who have been kind enough to review. I sadly haven't had much in the way of time to update thanks to work experience, but I am on my final week of work experience this week, so I will be gradually updating my three fanfics as time goes on. I thought I would start with this, as it is the most neglected of them…. Anyway, on with the story.

After a rather short discussion, Wright and Co had decided to split up. Nick, Maya and Pearly would head off to try and track down "Phil"; whilst Miles and Luke were going to work on tracking down Ash Burns, and they had intended to meet up at the Gatewater Hotel with their findings. They had been walking along, going nowhere in particular it seemed when Pearly spoke up.

"Mr Nick… where are we going?" she asked with a piercing gaze.

"Sorry?... umm… good question, I apologise, it's just there seems to be too many things wrong with this case… I just get the feeling that we are missing something quite vital" Nick explained.

"Phoenix… get a grip" Came the familiar voice of Mia Fey, whom of which Maya was now in the process of channelling

"Chief!" Nick gasped.

"Mystic Mia!" Pearly gasped, equally shocked, having not expected her late cousin to appear.

"Phoenix…. You now have two innocent clients depending on you… I know that right now, things look bleak, but you have to keep a clear head, in order to be able to see a clearer picture of things; now, give me a proper run down as to what has happened" Mia ordered her former protégé.

"Sure chief"….. And with that, Nick gave her a rundown of everything that had happened, right up to the group dividing. Mia seemed to temporarily allow this information to sink in, before speaking again.

"Well…. I personally think that there is only one person who can most likely lead you to this new manager" Mia began.

"Really?... who is it then?" Pearly asked, and was sharing an equally blank look with Nick.

"Eurgh… do I have to spell it out for you Phoenix… who is the one person that you know who effectively knows all the dark secrets and scandals of the celebrity world?" Mia pressed.

Suddenly, Nick had what you might call a "light bulb moment"

"Of course… Lotta Hart!" Nick declared.

"Isn't that the person with the fluffy cotton candy hair Mister Nick?" Pearly asked.

"Yep… the woman "from the heartland" Nick muttered. The last time they had seen the woman, was the "engarde case". The photos she had taken that day were used as evidence against the real criminal during the trial. Since then, he had heard she was going to continue her path as a tabloid photographer, so if anyone had any dirt on the manager of the late Miss Stone, then it would be Lotta Hart. However, talking to Lotta usually meant that you were effectively taking your life into your hands…

"Right… it's just that we don't actually know where to find her chief…. Wait… isn't that her there?" Nick exclaimed. He had spotted a woman with an alarming afro heading into a coffee shop across the street, which could only have been Lotta Hart.

It was at this point, Nick took off in hot pursuit of this fleeting sighting of the woman they needed, ignoring the exclamations of Mia and Pearly.

It didn't take him very long to reach the coffee shop. It was crowded with various people having stopped there during their lunch break. Nick began frantically looking for Lotta, when suddenly he felt a torrent of searing hot liquid go all over his suit.

"YEOWCH!" Nick yelped.

"HEY, WATCH WHERE YA GOIN MISTER!" A certain voice with a heavy southern accent bellowed right in his ear.

"Ow… first you burn me, then you deafen me!" Nick protested, still dripping thanks to the contents of Lotta's coffee cup now being all over him.

"Well, you shouldn't have been standin in ma way.. wait.. aren't you that Mr Porcupine lawyer.. Mr Wrong… ?" Lotta questioned.

"It's Mr Wright actually"… Nick replied in a exasperated tone.

"Oh yeah, Nick Wright? Hah, hey… how's that Maya girl, have you two gotten together yet?" she exclaimed with a grin.

"Wait what?... No!.. Maya and I are just friends!" Nick protested.

"Hmph… that's what they all say….you are just like that stone woman…" Lotta replied with a sigh.

"Sapphire Stone you say?" Nick asked. This could be easier than he thought…

"Yessire, she certainly left behind a scandal! Two timing her bodyguard and her manager… tsk, they certainly keep me in work" she replied.

"Lotta… I'm investigating her murder… what can you tell me…. Do you have any information for me?" Nick asked.

"Of course I have information!... I never fail to miss out on ma scoop.. whaddya takin me for huh?..." she snarled.

"Sorry…. It's just anything you could give me could be helpful…"

"Well, as you know, info doesn't come free, especially as I now don't have any coffee… so, I need you to solve this puzzle here…." She stated.

"What… not you as well?" Nick groaned. He never wanted to see another damn puzzle for as long as he lived.

"Yep, or are you too scared?" She teased.

Puzzle 4: Coffee Break

Summer puts her coffee into the microwave, as she does every morning, for exactly 2 minutes. When the microwave goes off, she opens the door, but then closes the door again and sets the microwave for 2 more seconds. What good would 2 more seconds be?

Hint 1, hint2, hint 3…

Nick thought about the puzzle for a moment, then grinned.

"It's simple really… she would need the extra seconds to give her time to move the mug around so she can grab the handle!" He declared.

"Correct!" She beamed.

"Now… I have an envelope here of photos… which I "came by" just now…" she whispered.

"How did you "come by it?... I thought you would have done this yourself" Nick questioned.

"Well… let's just say that I have an informant who got me "solid evidence" She replied, and looked rather nervous.

"And who might this informant be?" Nick demanded.

It was at this point, everything went dark, and five psyche-locks came down, forming a rather menacing barrier between them…..


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

WN: First of, huge apologies for my absence!. I have been so busy trying to write the finale for my other fic. Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed…

Nick just stood there for a moment, as if praying for a swift end. He recomposed himself and cleared his throat, before beginning the struggle that is interrogating Lotta Hart… in a coffee shop no less.

"Well.. Lotta, I know for a fact you are lying to me… and I will find out the reason why!" Nick declared.

"Oh really… how do ya work that one out then?" Lotta huffed.

"Well, the fact that you seem to be hell bent on not telling me about your… informant" Nick reasoned.

"Urk!... well… as a reporter, I don't have to reveal my sources to anyone; especially not to some weirdo lawyer!" Lotta snapped, but started to look really anxious.

"Ah… but what if said weirdo lawyer; which is a comment I resent, felt that this informant could help find a murderer!" Nick replied.

"Argh… well, I only have your word for it don't I… I… need proof!" she replied with a smug grin.

"Proof you say… hmm… do I have any proof… aha!... I do indeed… "

"**TAKE THAT!" **Lotta, I have in my hand… a diary entry" Nick began.

"Oh?... ah… I see what your angle is Mister Wright… you wanna piece of the action of the scandal driven world of celebrities don't cha… well.. I can talk to my employer, see what he will give you for it?" Lotta offered.

"Not exactly.. this was taken from the victim's diary…. And take a look at the date" Nick told her.

"Ah… wasn't that day she was murdered?" Lotta yelped.

"Yep… I have a good feeling that one of these men were in fact involved in the murder of Miss Stone, and I really need you to tell me what you know… so we can bring them to justice!" Nick declared.

"Ack!... alright… I will tell you what you wanna know!" Lotta howled, and on that note, all five of the psyche locks vanished into the darkness.

"I actually don't know his name… he sent a "representative" Lotta began.

"What?"… Nick yelped.

"I know… I tried everything I could to get the name out of him… I used up everything in the Lotta charm book!" she replied with a heavy sigh.

"Right… now I am concerned…" Nick muttered, having seen a few "samples" from her charm.

"Anyway… he just gave me these, and promised me it would give me "the scoop of the century" Lotta added.

"And what did he want in return… and better yet, what did he look like?" Nick asked.

"Well, that was the first thing that smelt kinda off to me… he said that his boss wanted nothing more than the truth to be out there… in answer to your last question… he looked like your average joe really"…. She sighed.

"Well... can I get the pictures then… surely getting a killer convicted is more important to you than some new scandal for the press?" Nick reasoned.

"Oh Okay-…. YEEEEEP!" Suddenly, Lotta was whipped ferociously by a certain blue haired whip wielding prosecutor.

"Fr.. Miss Von Karma, what on earth are you doing here?" Nick yelped.

"If you must know Phoenix Wright, I came here to get myself a passable cup of tea, as I needed to recuperate after that foolishly foolish display of yours in court; as well as that other display of that dummkopf scruffy detective!" she snapped, and added:

"I came here not long before you came in, and have since heard everything regarding your foolish conversation, which is why I am now taking Miss Hart and the "evidence" She snapped, and was about to drag Lotta away, when Phoenix Yelled, much to the amusement of the other customers: "**HOLD IT!"**

"What it is now?" Franziska replied, clearly getting more furious with every passing minute.

"You can have these pictures… **if **you can solve this puzzle!" Nick declared.

"What on earth are you talking about?..." Franziska snapped.

"Well… you either solve this riddle I have created, or… you don't get the photos, so what will it be… will Miss Von Karma carry on her perfect record and solve this simple puzzle or not?" Nick replied in a cool manner.

For a moment, Franziska just stood there, looking at him in utter disbelief, before snapping:

"Fine, just give it to me already!"

Puzzle 5: Troublesome Traffic?

"I live in a busy place in the city, where traffic is plentiful  
I'll let you stay with me for a while each day,  
However, if you don't feed me, I can get you into trouble.  
What am I?"

Hint 1, hint 2, hint 3

Franziska seemed to think for a few moments…

"What's the matter, do you need a hint?" Nick asked innocently.

"A Von Karma doesn't need hints!" she snapped, much to the amusement of Lotta.

"Well… what do you think the answer is then?" Lotta asked.

"…. I have it!... would it be a parking meter?" Franziska asked with a smug grin.

"Correct… " Nick replied.

"Hmph… now that I have ended this foolishness, we shall be going now!" Franziska declared, and began dragging a protesting Lotta out of the room.

Nick began grinning. Whilst Lotta was now at the mercy of Miss Von Karma, he still had the photos. Though the question is…. What on earth did they contain?"


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen: The plot thickens…

WN: Huge thanks to all those who reviewed, and I apologise for not updating previously. I am now at full time college, which is very time consuming, but I promise to update whenever I can :D

Nick, now feeling very pleased with himself, walked right out of the café, and re-joined Maya and Pearl, (after allowing enough time to make sure that Franziska had left with her hostage).

"Well Nick, what did you find out?" Maya exclaimed in a rather impatient manner.

"Aside from the fact that Franziska isn't a fan of random puzzles… I have some photos here" Nick explained.

"And any other helpful information?" Mia replied.

"Or cake for that matter?" Maya exclaimed.

Nick jumped, having not noticed that Pearl was now channelling Mia instead of Maya. He then explained everything that had transpired previously, whilst ignoring Maya's hint.

"Hmm… well, why wait Phoenix… let us have a look then" Mia stated.

"Sure chief!" Nick replied. To be honest, he hadn't even looked at them yet… There was indeed something that was bothering him… bothering him badly…

"What is it Phoenix?" Mia enquired with that all too familiar piercing gaze.

"I honestly do not know chief.. there just seems to be something off… something we are missing" Nick explained.

"Yeah, our killer for one thing!" Maya chimed in. Nick and Mia just looked at her. Sometimes, Maya just had this knack for being so…. Maya-ish.

"Urgh… well, let's just get them open already!" Nick declared, and ripped them open.

In the envelope were four, blown up pictures. In two of them, you could clearly see a well built man, standing in a loving embrace with a woman that could only have been sapphire… They did look so happy… However the next two photos seemed to depict a different tale. Sapphire was also in these, but this time… she was with another man, no where near as well built as the other, but the expression on his face was enough to put the fear of god into anyone. It was clear that in the third photo, they were in the middle of a heated argument at a restaurant of some kind… and he looked furious.

However, that was not the most troubling. In the final photo, it showed just the two men, and they seemed to be talking in an alleyway… and one was passing the other money.

"Hmm… ah!" Mia gasped.

"That… final photo was taken the night before the murder!..." She exclaimed.

Nick and Maya gasped. This was getting more and more complicated by the minute…

"We have got to find these two men…. " Nick muttered. But the question is, how could they get a solid lead on their whereabouts?

"Well, why don't we go and reconvene with Edgeworth and Luke?" Mia suggested…

"I agree… he did say to meet up at the Gatewater hotel right?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, that's right, well, what are you waiting for Nick, let's go!" Maya exclaimed, and dragged a reluctant Nick and Mia along too….

Date: Date: 25/02/2019, time: 2:30pm, location: Gatewater Hotel…

Wright and co eventually reached the hotel, and Nick was a little concerned to see a rather annoyed looking Edgeworth waiting for them. "So Wright… did you track down this Phil character then?" Edgeworth asked pointedly.

"Nope… we do have some evidence though…." Nick replied.

"Well, you clearly haven't heard the news then…." Edgeworth muttered.

"News, what news?" Maya exclaimed.

"Clearly not…." Edgeworth sighed.

"Can somebody please explain what is going on?" Nick exclaimed.

"Ya see sir… when Mister Edgeworth and I were looking for that Burns Character.. we.. went to his house…." Luke began…

"And found out that he was murdered… the good detective sent us word just now" Edgeworth explained.

"WHAT?" The three of them gasped.

"That isn't all… the police are currently baffled; as the man was stabbed repeatedly… yet there were no signs of a struggle… or much blood for that matter" Edgeworth added.

"And… there was a hat next to him that was exactly like the professah's!" Luke chimed in.

"So… this has to be proof that someone is trying to impersonate the Professor!" Nick exclaimed.

However, he still felt more confused. Now there were two murders; were they linked?.,.. and who on earth was trying to frame the English professor?... there were so many things that didn't make any sense…..

WN; That is all for me for now, gotta work on my other fic. I hope to have a good courtroom scene in the next chapter, till then thanks for reading, and please review!


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen: Confusion and Calamities…

WN: Thanks again to my two reviewers, CuteLittlePikachu and Kongu123, your reviews mean a lot to me :D

Date: Date: 25/02/2019, time: 3:10pm, location: Gatewater Hotel…

The group had been standing there for some time now, sending theories back and forth, without actually getting anywhere.

"I don't understand… he… was a well-trained bodyguard… how on earth could someone have overpowered him that easily?" Nick exclaimed.

"Yeah, I mean that guy was built like Arnold Schwarzenegger, how could someone have taken that guy down without so much as a struggle?" Maya chimed in.

"Well… we have a few theories…." The group looked up, and were greeted with the sight of Detective Gumshoe; Inspector Chelmey… and Professor Hershel Layton!"…

"PROFESSAH!" Luke jumped for joy, and ran over and gave him a huge hug… And then pulled away…

"I am sorry professah… I know that was not the behaviour of a gentleman…." Luke muttered.

Layton just laughed, and replied: "Luke my boy, it is perfectly fine to show your emotions, especially in situations like this; in fact, I am glad somebody missed me that much" He replied.

"Well as much as I hate to interrupt this touching reunion, what did you find out Layton?" Edgeworth asked a little impatiently.

"Ah, good to see your pursuit for truth hasn't changed… well… as they were investigating the crime scene… they came across this" Layton began, and at that moment, Inspector Chelmey produced a wine glass with some unusual white residue sitting at the bottom.

"Before you say anything, we sent some of the residue off to the lab for analysis pal" Gumshoe explained, and looked at Nick who had been about to say something.

"If it is what we think it is… then why would the person then stab him?" Mia questioned.

"That is still something we are trying to work out… " The inspector replied.

"Well, we should have the analysis of the glass back in about an hour or so… so why not come back later pals?" Gumshoe suggested.

"I guess you are right detective…." Nick sighed.

"Oh well… where to now?..." Maya asked.

"HOLD IT!" Edgeworth yelled.

"What's up Edgey?" Maya exclaimed with a scowl, a little annoyed at how that "HOLD IT" was so close to her ear.

"I am sorry Miss Fey, but I was just curious… now please don't take this the wrong way professor… but are you not supposed to be in jail?" Edgeworth pointed out.

"Hmm, I guess my sudden appearance must have seemed odd, well thanks to this latest turn of events, and apparently some evidence found by the prosecution… I have currently been cleared for the time being" Layton explained.

"Wow… that is great Professah!" Luke cheered.

"Indeed it is, as I can now ensure that this madness is stopped once and for all!" Layton declared.

"Indeed… now detective, do you know if we can go and investigate the crime scene?" Edgeworth asked.

"Sure… I mean… as long as Miss Von Karma is not around pals… as I don't think she would be too happy to see you" Gumshoe warned.

"Alright…. We will take our chances… thank you detective" Edgeworth replied, and with that, Luke, Layton, Nick, Maya and Mia left for the crime scene.

Date: Date: 25/02/2019, time: 3:20pm, location: Ash Burn's Apartment.

It didn't take the group long to reach the apartment, and were glad to see that the investigation team had in fact wound down for the day, and there were about three detectives there, who didn't really notice their presence.

"Oh well… shall we begin?" Nick suggested.

What they didn't notice, was that Luke had gone missing….

"I saw him… I know I saw him!" Luke muttered. As they arrived, he had noticed a shadow hiding behind a tree of what appeared to be the Professor, so he broke away from the group to investigate. He had intended to come back after checking, but what he didn't realise was that his investigation would lead to danger…..


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty: Strange things at hand…

WN: Thanks again to everyone who reviewed. I hadn't intended for this to be this long, but still, I guess it draws the fun out :D. Quick thing… The reason Luke says Professah instead of Professor; I was trying to imitate the accent of Luke's voice over in the Layton Games. Sad, I know.

Date: Date: 25/02/2019, time: 3:30pm, location: Ash Burn's Apartment.

They had been going over the apartment with a fine tooth comb for the past ten minutes. As previously mentioned, there was in fact very little blood, despite the numerous stab wounds. It was then, Phoenix suddenly asked:

"Hey Miles…." Nick began

"What is it Wright?" Edgeworth asked, whilst a little exasperated.

"I was just thinking… is Larry still in prison; last we heard was that he too had been arrested for Miss Stone's murder" Nick explained.

"That is a valid point I suppose; yes… I recently heard that he is still considered a suspect for her murder; instead of the usual one suspect cut and dried cases that you take on Wright, the police are exploring other options this time" Edgeworth replied.

"Well, that is good I suppose; I mean, I really don't feel like I can deal with defending Larry again… I mean, how many times has he been in trouble?" Nick exclaimed.

"Well there was the time with that first girlfriend… and" Maya began, when she was cut off by a sudden realisation from The Professor.

"Where's Luke?" He exclaimed.

"Odd… I know he was here earlier at the start of our investigation" Mia replied, she too now began looking concerned…

Without waiting for any other response from the rest of the investigating team, Layton ran outside, and began calling for Luke…. With no success…

"He… wouldn't just run off like this…" Layton murmured and began walking a little further along, which is when… he saw Luke's trademark blue cap lying discarded on the pavement….

"No… no… how… could this happen?" Layton exclaimed.

"He can't have gotten far…." Nick tried to reassure him….

"Mister Wright…. I fear that Luke has been kidnapped"… Layton gasped.

"KIDNAPPED?"… Maya jumped in shock…

"But who on earth would want to kidnap Luke?" Mia exclaimed.

"I believe that I may have the answer….." Came the voice that sent shivers down their collective spines… well, almost everyone.

"Franziska… you heard about what happened… how come you are not dismissing this as a foolish child wondering off, after all we have no such evidence to indicate that Luke has been kidnapped" Miles asked with a slightly raised eyebrow; curious to hear the logic of his sister…

"Little brother, come here and have a look at this photo" She sighed, and from her pocket, produced a photo of a boy, that actually looked a lot like Luke…. And was that…

"Sapphire Stone?" Maya exclaimed.

"As it happens, you foolish fools were not thorough enough when you investigated her apartment earlier, so I went back and conducted another investigation of my own, and found this in a photo album… and a diary" She explained.

"Okay…. And he was where exactly?" Nick asked.

"I found that this is the one time that he had actually gone with her to another country; he had initially been in boarding school, but had come for a visit with his sister as it was the holidays" She finished.

"Wait… they are brother and sister?" Maya exclaimed.

"Of course you foolishly foolish fool, at the age of twenty five, she is not likely to be the mother of a boy that is nearly nine years old!" She snarled, and slapped him hard across the face.

"Yeowch!" Nick yelped, and shot backwards.

"Okay…. So why would anyone kidnap her little brother?" Mia asked.

"I did some more digging, and found out that their parents died in a car accident around five years ago, so she adopted him; making her his legal guardian. When she became truly successful, she ensured that he was never in the public eye in order to protect him….. or at least, she thought that she had" Franziska explained.

"I don't know what motive anyone would have to kidnap the brother of Miss Stone, but we must rescue Luke before any harm comes to him" Layton stated determinedly. He was feeling guilty… He had actually met with Miss Stone shortly before the murder…. And she was distraught. They had met a while ago when he saw her at a show she starred in when she came to England last year, and the two had become friends. They had stayed in contact for some time, and when she had heard that he was in town, they had arranged to meet.

She had asked him if her brother could temporarily stay with Layton for a few days, in the event any harm would come to her; that way he wouldn't be put at further risk. Concerned for the safety of this young woman, Layton tried to press for more information…. But she suddenly did a U-turn, and told him he had misunderstood what she had told him… and told him that she needed to sleep, and that they would meet later…. Of course, not wanting to disregard the wishes of a lady, Layton reluctantly agreed. However… she was then murdered. He had been wondering what had happened to the brother, but he had come to the conclusion that the police must have found him….

"Mister Wright…. There is something I have been keeping from you…." Layton began…

WN: Going to have to leave it here for now. Would be very grateful for any reviews, thanks in advance! :D


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty One: Confessions and Confusion

WN: Huge thanks once again to all those who have reviewed. I had also been going to ask, what would you guys prefer, me carrying on with the final chapters of this and then doing a revised version, or me leaving this and starting the revised one, (some things will change, main elements stay the same) please let me know via reviewing or pming :D

Everyone turned to look at Layton following the beginning of his statement with confusion. What could he possibly want to confess at a time like this?

Eventually, Nick spoke up:

"What is it Professor?" He asked nervously. He thought back initially to when they first visited the Professor in jail; he seemed very hesitant then… could it be that he was finally going to let him know what he had been keeping from them all?

"I… was not entirely truthful with my recounted version of events that I gave you earlier" Layton began.

"Oh… what did you not tell us?" Edgeworth asked, looking at his friend with a look of concern.

"I actually saw Sapphire Stone the day of the murder" Layton explained.

"YOU DID?" They all exclaimed.

"Yes… I actually knew her fairly well" And with that, Layton began to recount everything he could remember.

There was silence for a few moments, before Franziska spoke up:

"And why did you not tell anybody this before, it would have been a great help to the investigation instead of being foolish and hiding it!" Franziska exclaimed.

"Hmm… a valid point, but I did not want any harm to come to the boy" Layton calmly explained.

"Hmph… fine… but you will have to come with me down to the precinct, after all, this could be vital in finding Luke, as well as this mystery child!" Franziska explained.

"Of course Miss Von Karma… I had been about to suggest this myself" Layton replied.

Turning to face Nick, Edgeworth, Maya and Mia, Franziska exclaimed with a haughty look:

"I shall be seeing you fools back in court later!" And with that, the two departed, leaving the group standing there.

"Well… that was certainly interesting" Maya remarked.

"True enough… " Edgeworth chimed in, before adding:

"Well there isn't anything we can do till we receive more information…. So shall we meet up tomorrow at the courthouse?" Edgeworth nodded. That being agreed, they all went their separate ways…

Date: Date: 26/02/2019, time: 9am, location: Courtroom Lobby Number 2.

"Maya… good to see you here so soon" Nick noted, having seen that his assistant had beaten him to the courthouse.

"Mister Nick, what is this I hear that Luke has been kidnapped?" Pearl exclaimed. Nick felt sick… of course when they first heard that Luke had been kidnapped, Pearl had been continuously channelling Mia.

"Sorry Nick… I kept it from her as long as I could… but I had to tell her anyway" Maya explained apologetically.

"Ah… well you see" Nick then gave Pearl a quick summary of the events that transpired yesterday afternoon. Pearl fell silent for a few moments , before replying:

"We have to find him Mister Nick, we have to find Luke!" she declared.

"I couldn't agree more, young lady… and we will" Layton walked over to them.

"Good to see you Mister Layton… Nick will find Luke, don't worry!" Pearl exclaimed.

"I am sure of that Miss Fey… now, are we ready for today?" Layton enquired.

"As ready as I ever will be" Nick remarked.

"That is understandable, but remain strong Mister Wright, after all… the fate of your clients is in your hands" And with those words of warning, Layton walked into the courtroom.

"Urgh… can anything else go wrong?" Nick groaned.

Nick really should be careful with what he asks… after all… the trial isn't over….

WN: Gonna have to leave it there for now, have coursework to do, till then please read and review, and if you have time, I would greatly appreciate it if you could take a look at my other projects, links to them can be found in my profile. Thanks in advance :D


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty Two: Testing times and troubles…

WN: Thanks again to those who have been kind enough to review, and add me to their favourite story list/subscriptions, it really is appreciated. I have decided to finish this and then do the revised version, thanks to all those who sent in their suggestions :D

Date: Date: 26/02/2019, time: 9:10m, location: Courtroom Number 2.

Once again, the defence and prosecution took to the opposing sides of the courtroom and Layton was left watching in the public gallery with Miles Edgeworth. Surrounding them were dozens of people; ordinary citizens and courtroom reporters alike, all desperate to see the latest revelation in this celebrity murder trial.

Eventually, the judge banged his gavel his usual three times; cleared his throat and began:

"Well, I have just received word about what happened to that young boy… it is unbelievable… however, I have been assured that our police teams are doing everything they can to find out what has happened to him… isn't that right Miss Von Karma?... though please remind me again how this kidnapping is linked to this murder trial" The judge added, with a look of apprehension.

Franziska seemed to be counting in German to try and restrain herself from going on yet another whipping spree. She then sighed, and explained: "Once again your honour, your powers of retention never cease to amaze me" Her voice oozing with sarcasm, before adding: "Well, for all you foolish people who have joined us and who hadn't really been able to keep up intellectually beforehand anyway" she began whilst glaring at Larry, who seemed to recoil in terror at her death stare. She then continued:

"Yesterday, I had discovered that Miss Stone actually had a younger brother… who bears an uncanny resemblance to the currently missing child" She explained, and held up two pictures, one of Luke and the Professor… the other of Sapphire and her little brother.

"There is a remarkable resemblance there!" The judge agreed with a gasp.

"I concur… now their parents died in a car accident around five years ago, so Sapphire adopted him; making her his legal guardian. When she became truly successful as an actress, she ensured that he was never in the public eye in order to protect him….. Or at least, she thought that she had" She finished, leaving the court to make their own minds up with the last part of that sentence unfinished.

"I see… now has there been any actual progress made in locating Miss Stone's brother?" The judge asked.

"… that is a work in progress your honour… we have however discovered that his name is Jem, and had been last staying at the rival Lakeview hotel with an unidentified woman… however… upon investigations there… we found nothing" She finished, whilst cursing this imperfect confession.

"Of either of them?... how strange…."

"And before you say anything your honour, we are already working on tracking them down" Franziska snapped in irritation.

"Alright… and does the defence have anything to add at this time?" The judge questioned again.

"I personally feel that the trial should be temporarily put on hold till this latest matter is resolved" Nick requested.

"Hmm… as much as this does displease the running of the court, I can see your logic… both sides have till tomorrow to resolve this matter; court is adjourned till then!" And once again, the courtroom population slowly dissipated, leaving Wright, Maya, Pearl, Franziska and Edgeworth the only ones in the room…

"Alright… now what do we do?" Maya questioned.

But for once… nobody knew exactly….

Elsewhere…

Date: Date: 26/02/2019, time: 10:14am, location: ?

Luke groggily woke up to find he had been bundled into a moving vehicle, what he imagined must have been a van or something for he couldn't see due to the blindfold… and he could feel that his hands were tied behind his back with an extremely painful rope… Suddenly, he could sense someone very near him…. So he leant over and:

"CHOMP!"

"OWW YOU LITTLE SON OF A…" The mystery person gave a howl of pain, and muttered something very abusive to another unseen person in the room… before adding loudly:

"I told ya we should have gagged the little twerp!" he fumed.

"Oh shut it Drake, it was only a bite… I mean… it could be worse" the other replied, which sounded like a woman talking…

"WHERE ARE YOU TAKING ME!... I DEMAND TO BE TAKEN BACK TO THE PROFESSOR AT ONCE!" Luke demanded and began frantically trying to break free of his bindings…

"Oh pipe down little boy… save your energy…. After all…. You are going to need it" The woman warned with a cackle….

WN: Gonna have to leave it there for now… will try an update soon, till then please review and enjoy :D


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty Three: Dangerous Situations

WN: Thanks to those who have reviewed again, it is a short one I am afraid to say… will try to update again soon though

Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity, the van came to a stop, before Luke even had a chance to speak, he felt someone haul him to his feet and drag him out the van. Suddenly, someone roughly yanked the blindfold from his head, allowing the harsh light of the sun to hit him directly in the eye.

"OWW! I DEMA-" Luke began, but was abruptly cut off by the guy that he had bitten earlier. Luke recoiled slightly at the sight of him. Even though he was not what you might call well built; there was something about him that gave off a really sinister vibe to Luke. Wearing black biker leathers with his dark hair tied back, he grinned menacingly at Luke.

"I get it you little twerp… you demand to see the Professor!" He replied mockingly.

"Grr…. Who are you anyway, and what do you intend to do with me?" Luke growled.

"That… my dear boy is simple…. I am going to hold you for ransom… your "sister"… betrayed me… in the worst possible way with that Neanderthal bodyguard of hers… so… I am going to make her latest boyfriend pay for your "safe return" He cackled.

"Wait, there has to be some mistake, I am not" Luke began.

"SILENCE!"… The man snarled.

"That is what the other one said too…. And even you both keep lying, there is no hope for you…. Both of you will remain here till I say so… " He warned.

"Oh come now Drake… enough with the drama all ready" The woman that Luke had heard earlier stepped forward, giving Luke a massive shock…

"Wait…. You…. Your Sapphire…" Luke stammered. But if Sapphire was dead…. Then who was this woman in front of him?

"Hmph… I can see why you are confused little boy…. I am Amethyst… the Stone Sister's "better half" shall we say that our mother had a passion for gem stones?" She gave a bitter laugh, before adding:

"I am her twin sister… the "black sheep of the family… " She finished…

"Anyway, enough with the introductions, chuck the little brat in with the other one, then we can get down to business" "Drake" Ordered.

And with that, the woman led him away. He was still tied up, and his bindings felt like they were cutting into his skin. He had a feeling that they were far away from the courthouse… It seemed that they were in some sort of old mill…. In the middle of nowhere. Suddenly, they were inside, and the next thing that Luke knew was that he was being chucked into a room.

"HEY!" He called out.

But it was no use. The woman just walked away.

"Urk… come on Professor…. Where are you…." He gulped, hoping that they would find him. It reminded him of the time that they were locked in that Castle in Folsense…. Minus the vampire of course. But something told Luke that this man was far worse….

He took a minute to study his surroundings. There were two mattresses on the floor… if you could call them that, and a blanket. He could see a little boy there too…. That looked exactly like him. He stepped closer, and saw that he was in a deep sleep…. He wouldn't wake him for now. There was only one window, which was too high for him to reach.. However, there was something that caught his attention.

"A puzzle!" He grinned. He dusted off the board that the puzzle was written on, and took a closer look:

PUZZLE 7: How many gems?

" In a bag, there are 32 green gems and 32 red gems, how many would you have to remove to ensure that you had two different gems?"

HINT 1, HINT 2, HINT 3…

"Hmm… this is going to take some careful thought" Luke muttered.

WN: Gonna have to leave it there. Hopefully will be updating again soon, till then please read, review and enjoy :D


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty Four: Every puzzle has an answer…. Or do they?

WN: Once again, huge apologies for not updating, my life has been so hectic lately. Huge thanks to Sapphiet, Sogo and of course CuteLittlePikachu for their support and reviews and a huge thanks to all who have added me to their favourites lists and subscriptions list it has really made my month

Luke paced up and down the small room for quite some time, thinking of how to tackle this puzzle. Normally he would relish the thought of a puzzle, but thanks to this whole being held kidnapped and held hostage thing, he was not really in the mood. He was about to do another lap of the room when a voice suddenly croaked:

"It's thirty three…. I am sure of it… " The doppelganger of Luke suddenly sat up and looked directly into his eyes with a newfound look of determination.

Luke paused for a moment and thought about it. It suddenly made sense… the chance is unlikely you could pull out all 32 gems of one color first, and then all that's left are gems of another color. Therefore, The next one you pull MUST be of the other color…. Meaning…. 33 is correct!"

Luke grinned and turned his attention to the other boy.

"So ya saw the puzzle then?" Luke asked him with a look of curiosity.

"I made it actually…. " The boy replied with a shy smile…

"Wow…. good puzzle…. I meant to introduce myself…. Luke Triton's the name…. and who are you?" Luke questioned.

"Ah… Jem… Jem Stone… it is so good to finally have some company at last…." Jem replied, having decided that this newcomer was not here to harm him.

"What are you doing here with these rotten people anyway…. Wait…. HOLD IT!" Luke bellowed, causing the poor boy to recoil in shock…

"EEK!... what on earth did you yell that for?" He exclaimed, his hands blocking his ears.

"Ah… sorry… I must ave' picked it up from someone fairly recently…." Luke replied apologetically, before adding:

"Did I hear you say that your last name was Stone?" Luke exclaimed.

"Yes…. It is… why?" Jem asked with a look of confusion.

"Are you related to the late Sapphire Stone by any chance?" Luke questioned.

"Yes….. she is my sister…. I am going to meet her soon….." Jem replied and smiled for the first time.

"Ah….. oh boy….." It suddenly occurred to Luke that Jem was completely unaware of what had transpired so far. His sister… how on earth could he tell this kid his sister is dead?"….

"Is something that matter Luke?" Jem questioned….

"There really is something that you should know Jem…" Luke sucked in his breath, and once he saw that Jem was sitting down… he began to recount the entire tale to Jem, from start to finish.

By the time he had finished…. Jem began sobbing…... and then yelling

"YOU ARE LYING! SHE WOULDN'T LEAVE ME… SHE… WOULDN'T!" He yelled.

"Oh…. But I must insist that she would my dear brat…. Now stop making such an awful racket… some of us are scheming in here….. doing adult work….. " That woman from earlier emerged….. and stood in the doorway with a wicked grin.

"YOU…. YOU MURDERING….. AUGH!" As Jem lunged at the woman, he suddenly went hurtling back as the woman flung him across the room…

"Now…. Play nicely….. as it won't be much longer now…." She cackled…. And slammed the door, before walking away.

Luke immediately ran over to Jem, who was hurt and grief stricken… he knew he had to do something…. The question was what?... and would the professor come to their aid?"….


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25: The Great Escape Commences!

WN: Huge thanks to all those who have reviewed and major apologies for not updating sooner. I can't believe it is Christmas soon, and a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all. Also I got a copy of Professor Layton and the Last Specter for my birthday.. it is AMAZING! (also I just loved the movie, eternal diva!)

Poor Luke was feeling a mixture of despair and sheer panic over the state of his friend. He looked over to poor Jem, who was currently now in a corner sobbing. He knew that they had to escape… But he had to get Jem to cooperate. With a deep breath, he walked over to the sobbing boy, grabbed him by the shoulders, and told him determinedly:

"We have got to escape Jem… who knows when the Professor is going to be able to get here… till then we have to try to get out of here!"

Jem blinked back another wave of fresh tears before replying:

"But… *sob* we… will be killed! Just as they… *sob*!"

But he was cut off by Luke, who replied:

"Now none of that…. A true gentleman must stay strong in times of danger… and I know for a fact that Sapphire would want her little brother to escape to safety!" Luke declared.

"*Sniff* alright… well… how do we go about escaping without letting them know we have?" Jem gasped.

"Well I can see that by solving this puzzle…. The lock on this window will open!" Luke grinned, and showed him the puzzle:

PUZZLE 8: The longest sentence

We all use sentences in everyday life, regardless of who we are or where we come from. Some are short, others are longer in length. But what is the longest sentence you can give in the world?

HINT 1: HINT 2: HINT 3

Both the boys thought long and hard for a few moments. Originally it looked like Luke had it in the bag, but then eventually resorted to:

"Augh… I have a few hint coins.. we will have to use one" Luke sighed. Jem just nodded silently in agreement.

"Okay, your first hint, try and think of other meanings to the word sentence.. there is more than one possibility"

"Great… that really helps!" Jem replied bitterly….

But it gave Luke an idea….

"Of course! For criminals such as these people… a judge would hand down… a Life Sentence!" Luke grinned.

And right on cue, the lock beeped rapidly and then clicked, leaving them with the open window.

"Come on, we have to move quickly and quietly, so we don't alert them!" Luke hissed, and motioned for Jem to move, which led to him quickly climbing out of the window. Luke then quickly followed him, feeling more optimistic.

Once they had landed safely on the ground, both of them looked round in alarm. It was almost pitch black… the old mill casting a creepy shadow over the land.

"Come on… we have to stick together…." Luke muttered, and grabbed Jem by the hand, and led him away.

"Eventually they made their way to what appeared to be some sort of bridge…. Which needed to be raised….

"Don't tell me…. We need to solve the puzzle?" Jem gasped.

"Afraid so….. " Luke sighed.

Puzzle 9: A tricky crossing

A lorry is driving along a 1 mile long bridge. The bridge can only hold 14000 lbs, which is what the lorry weighs. The lorry makes it half way across the bridge and stops. A bird lands on the lorry. Does the bridge collapse?

Hint 1, Hint 2, Hint 3, Super Hint

Luke and Jem began quickly trying to think… then they suddenly froze as a pair of menacing green eyes stared back at them in the darkness…

WN: And that is me for now! I shall try update again soon, till then please read and leave me a review :D


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Homeward Bound!

WN: Major thanks and apologies to all those who have reviewed for the delay. I hope we all had a great Christmas. It's snowing right now, weird huh? We may have a white Valentine's day…. :D

Both Jem and Luke froze for a few moments, as if paralyzed with fear. They could hear the growling in the darkness… surely the sound accompanied those terrible eyes that were transfixed on the pair of them right now… But it stayed shrouded temporarily in the darkness, as if analysing their next move… watching… but always waiting…

Luke knew he had to take charge of the situation. Jem, I need to stay focused on them while I solve this… I… need to do this!"

"It would definitely not coll…. apse!" Jem stammered.

"Wha… what?"… Luke exclaimed. He had no idea what his friend was on about.

"The lorry!... it would not collapse, I am sure of it!" Jem replied, more confidently this time.

Luke blinked at his friend for a few seconds. He had not even had time to even properly look at the puzzle, let alone process it enough in his mind and produce an answer. And Jem was in an even worse state mentally than Luke was!

"But… are.. you sure?... how did you… work it out?" Luke exclaimed.

"I.. I just have a feeling!" Jem shot back, looking paler with each passing second.

"A FEELING?... But… we need to know for sure!" Luke could not believe it. He would never just "guess" at a puzzle…

"Well, I do not see you coming up with anything better Luke.. and it is not like we really have many other choices now, is it not?"… Jem snapped with an almost ferocious snarl. It was some of the most negative emotion that Luke had seen for quite some time… in anyone. But he knew that they did not have a hell of a lot of options right now… But if Jem was wrong, they would be caught.. and… oh Luke just could not bear it… he would never see the professor… but even the professor had taken chances before now… he knew what he had to do… and that was to trust in Jem…

"Alright!... we have to go with no… I just hope that you are right…" Luke muttered, as he inputted the answer.

After a few rather painful seconds… a clicking sound could be heard, and a disembodied voice rang out:

"Well done travellers, you were wise to answer my puzzle correctly. As the lorry had already driven a mile, you can submit the weight of the petrol that had been used to travel the distance of the mile, meaning both the bird and lorry are safe to cross… now go carefully travellers… the puzzles ahead may not be so easy... trust only one another…"

Luke fell silent… who was that strange voice?... actually… it sounded eerily familiar.. but he could not put his finger exactly on it…. The voice; regardless of which it may be had a point though. By trusting Jem they had managed to solve the puzzle, (hearing the explanation helped)… and now the bridge was being raised downwards; allowing the path to freedom to come forth. However… where was Jem… He looked around and gasped. Jem was now happily petting… a.. rather large jet black cat…

"Uh Jem… I don't think that is your average cat…" Luke began, shooting the black tom a nervous glance. It was much larger than your average cat, with protruding white fangs that gleamed in the darkness… and those eyes… they sent a shiver down Luke's spine.

"Come on Luke… all it wants is some love…." Jem reasoned, and continued to stroke the tom, causing it to purr loudly, and rub his head on Jems arm. Luke smiled sadly, as he knew that Jem really needed someone to love him back…..

"Alright, if he wants to come with us, he can, but we have to move!" Luke exclaimed, trying to emphasise the desperateness of their situation. Thankfully Jem understood, whispered something to the tom, and they both looked to Luke for guidance.

"Come on… it isn't far now…" Luke added, and with that, the three of them bravely continued their journey further into the darkness. They had kept running and running, till they came skidding to a halt outside a phone box…

"Ah… *just need to catch… my… breath…*.. Luke frantically scrabbled around for some chance, and clambered up to the phone, for he couldn't reach it all that well.

"Come on… connect…" Luke and Jem pleaded silently… as they knew they had to get help… before it was too late….

WN: Okay, a bit of a busy night for me, off to work on my other fics, till then please read and review! :D

From Feyfangirl


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Connections made, in more ways than one!

WN: Huge thanks to all of my latest reviewers, it really made my day to see that this is still getting read :D I am currently off sick today from college so I thought I would treat you all to an update :D

The three of them stood by the phone waiting for what felt like an eternity… Luke feared the worst and that they would not answer their desperate call, but his prayers were answered when a rather sleepy Layton answered: "Hello…. Professor Hershel Layton speaking….."

Luke grinned and gave the thumbs up sign to Jem who gave a whoop of joy and began stroking their cat again.

"PROFESSAH!... It's … sorry… It is so good to hear your voice again" Luke answered the last part quietly, remembering the professor telling him how a true gentleman should never shout at a person whilst on the phone.

"Luke… quickly, can you please tell me where you are… we need to get to you quickly" Layton was thrilled to hear from his young apprentice….but he knew that a reunion would have to wait… for now they had to focus on getting him to safety.

"I…. um… I am not exactly sure…" Luke suddenly felt scared again, as he had been effectively blinded throughout their whole miserable journey.

"The Old Miller's yard… we have made it just past the bridge… it is just past the docks" Jem chimed in.

"Luke… is that… Jem?" Layton gasped.

"It is…" And with that, knowing that they did not have much time, he gave the professor a rather hasty recap of everything, from being kidnapped to meeting Sapphire's sister… to finding Jem and escaping…. He did however leave out their feline bodyguard.

"Very well, sit tight Luke… we are coming for you… I have just heard that there is a shortcut to the docks…. Head there and wait for us… but move quickly, we will see you soon" And after that, Layton gave them the directions, before hanging up.

Luke was ecstatic. He had heard from the professor; they knew they were alive and well… though they had to confirm it… he had hoped they would be found beforehand….. still, he couldn't imagine that the Professor and Mister Wright or Edgeworth would have given up on them.

"Alright Jem, shall we get going?" Luke exclaimed.

Jem nodded, and the trio then took off in the direction of the docks… When they arrived however, they were greeted with another puzzle by the fence….

"Oh well, we don't have long to wait… should we do this to keep us occupied?" Jem suggested.

Puzzle 10: A game of cat and Mouse….

"There are three alley cats in the city. If these three mice can catch three mice in three minutes, how many cats will be needed to catch 100 mice in 100 minutes?"

Hint 1, Hint 2, Hint 3, Super Hint

Elsewhere…

Date: 26/02/2019, time: 11pm, location: Police Department

Everyone else had gone home hours ago, with the exception of Miles Edgeworth, Dick Gumshoe, Layton, Wright, Maya and Franziska. Pearl was still with them of course, but she had fallen asleep in the bed that Maya and surprisingly Franziska had made up for her on the chairs whilst the others worked. They were all showing how tired they were, but they refused to leave until they tracked Luke down.

When they had gotten the call, they were ecstatic, however Layton was a little troubled that Luke had managed to escape without his help. It was not that Layton didn't have faith in his young apprentice; after all he had enough experience in escaping from bad people in the past, but it was always with a lot of difficulty and they had always helped one another…. He had this sinking feeling that it had been a little too easy…..

His train of thought had been drastically interrupted when Edgeworth put a hand on his shoulder and told him:

"We put in some calls, and a rescue team is ready to go, along with a team to apprehend this "evil twin" and her henchmen…. We will find them… I promise…."

Layton tried to be reassured, but he just hoped that he was wrong…. For their sake…

WN: Okay, off to work on my remaining two fics, I hope this has been okay, only three more chapters left now guys! Please read and review :D thanks in advance :D


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28: The final hurdle

WN: Okay, once again, many apologies for the delay in updating this and major thanks to my reviewers Don'tWannaKnowMe and CuteLittlePikachu for reviewing the last chapter, it was greatly appreciated. This is so close to the end now… *sob*

Date: 26/02/2019, time: 11:15pm, location: Docks

Both the boys had been pacing back and forth for the past quarter of an hour with their feline bodyguard sitting where the puzzle was placed; watching them with what appeared to be a mixture of curiosity and amusement. They were both finding it incredibly difficult to focus on the puzzle when rescue was imminent.

Luke was now trying to think aloud…. "Okay, let's look at the facts shall we… 3 mice at the start…. And they get 100 mice in 3 minutes….."

Jem then took up the sentence…

"How would the number of mice change…?" He questioned.

It was then a low growling could be heard. They both turned to the source, and their furry friend was gazing at them hungrily.

"Uh… I think our puzzle is making him hungry…" Jem gulped.

"I think your right… just don't mention the "M" word okay…." Luke whispered.

Jem nodded and they both went back to thinking to themselves…. When apparently they both came to the same conclusion ….

"IT WOULD STILL BE THE THREE ALLEY CATS!"

Suddenly, the board the puzzle was on flashed, and an automated reply came:

"The same three cats would do the job. Since these three cats are averaging one mouse per minute, given 100 minutes, the cats could catch 100 mice…. Now that is what is known as teamwork!" Then another message came…

"As a reward for solving the puzzle of a bored fisherman… here is a fish as a reward!"

And suddenly…. Seemingly out of nowhere…. A rather smelly fish appeared before them…

"Ewww!" They both exclaimed. However, the cat had a different idea… and before either of them could say anything, he gave a magnificent leap, and devoured the fish whole at an amazing speed; eventually spitting out the bones…

"How did he….." Jem gasped, a little taken aback.

"Better yet… where did that fish come from?..." Luke exclaimed…. Suddenly, they both finally became aware of an overpowering stench. They looked up… only to discover…

"AUGH!" They both recoiled backwards, as they stared up at a huge net full of fish… that also happened to have a hole in it. Judging by the smell… they had been up there for a few days… seemingly hoisted up by a crane that was attached to the back of one of the boats…. The question was…. Where was the owner….?... and why did he leave all of those fish… as well as his boat… behind?...

Both of them looked at one another… seemingly having the same idea…. Before Jem Suggested: "Why don't we move over there?..." He pointed to a boat house that also seemed abandoned.

"Yeah…. Let's check it out… come on Clawde…." Luke gestured towards the cat, who tottered alongside them.

"Wait… Clawde?" Jem questioned.

"Yep… we couldn't keep calling him "cat" forever could we?" Luke exclaimed.

"True…. Umm… who's gonna go in first?..." Jem questioned.

"We all go together…" Luke explained determinedly.

They gave each other nervous glances as they headed towards the old boathouse. Neither wanted to go there… but on the same token it was better inside than hanging out in the open…. Where anyone could see them…..

As they came to the doorway…. It was completely dark…. But unlocked…..

They crept inside….. nobody around so far….. As they made their way in… suddenly the door blew shut…. And a light flew on…. And a voice boomed:

"AND JUST WHAT ARE YOU KIDS DOIN' ON MY PROPERTY?"

WN: Oh dear.. those kids never seem to catch a break do they?... or is everything as it seems?... find out in the next chapter! :D I shall try have another up soon…

Love Feyfangirl


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Fisherman's Friend

WN: Apologies for the long wait in updating, am also working at the moment on the final chapter of this Huge thanks to CuteLittlePikachu for reviewing the last chapter

Luke and Jem whimpered as the figure drew nearer, his voice getting louder. The person appeared to be a man; dishevelled in appearance with an unkempt beard and moth eaten clothes as well as a broad figure.

"**I won't ask you kids again, what are you doing on my property?" **as he leaned in towards them, giving them a nasty whiff of his pungent, suspiciously garlic scented breath.

Luke recoiled slightly, before finding his courage as he motioned for Jem to get behind him, and replied:

"Please sir…. My name is Luke… and this is my friend Jem… We… are in trouble…. And are in need of your assistance….." Luke began.

"What kinda trouble…" The man started….

"Well you see, we have only just managed to escape…. This is…." Luke was cut off at the man's sudden exclamation.

"**Jem Stone… is it…. It is…. I…. can't believe it…. I would not if it weren't for the evidence standing before me!**!" The man boomed, and swept the unsuspecting Jem up into a hug.

"Uh…. You know each other?" Luke questioned as he threw Jem a curious glance. Jem just looked completely clueless.

"Okay… it has been sometime since I visited your sister….. and your family as a whole…. I cleared out after your mother and I… had a "discussion…." Calling me a bad influence…. Not wanting lead you or your sister astray… fine sister she was…. I never wanted to be a part of the whole…. "celebrity culture" thing….. hence why I have kept to the simple life…. " He gestured to the surroundings. It was then he dropped Jem temporarily, and took note of the third member of their party.

"Ah…. You found my old friend Onyx then?"…. He smiled. The cat meowed in greeting, and began purring.

"So…. He is yours?" Luke exclaimed.

"Yep…. Me and Onyx have been travelling together for a fair while…. He is a true sailor's cat….." He grinned and petted him on the head, causing him to purr louder.

"Wait…. So you… are my uncle?... how come sis never mentioned you?" Jem exclaimed.

"That my boy…. I have no idea…" He looked sad for a moment, before speaking again:

"So…. What is this danger that you speak of?..."

"I think that you had ought to sit down for this Mister…?" Luke questioned.

"Oh, sorry, how rude of me…. The name's Sven…" He grinned, and then motioned for them to sit at the table towards the back of the room. He lit an old lamp, and asked:

"So….tell this sailor a story…"

And with that, Luke and Jem began to give him a recap of everything that had transpired. Luke filled him in on what he knew whilst Jem filled him in on everything he could remember. After a while of hmming and nodding, Sven stood up and looked stern.

"I always knew that Amethyst would lose it….. how money corrupts a person's heart…." He sighed mournfully and turned to the boys.

"Well, you are safe here, I won't let any harm come to either of you….. this I promise you both" He reassured them, as he went to an old box in the cabin and pulled out a rifle.

"Uh….. do we really need that?"….. Luke gasped. He had truly hoped to avoid conflict.

"Just a precaution kid…. Just a precaution…." He muttered, and took up watch by the window.

Both the boys looked panicked…. When would they be safe?...

Meanwhile…..

In a derelict Old Mill nearby, a woman and man were having a rather heated discussion.

"**I turn my back for a split second….. and you let the two brats escape?... how much of an idiot are you?"…. **Amethyst Stone was a furious woman. Her ransom scheme was now unravelling faster than one of her mother's tapestries.

"**And how was I supposed to know the two little brats would figure out the puzzle lock combination?" **It was Drake…. Her chief henchman.

"**Just get them back…. If you don't… I shall see to it you join my sister….." **She snarled.

"**Very well"…..** They both turned to leave, only to hear…

"**THIS IS THE POLICE!... YOU ARE SURROUNDED!" **A loud voice boomed as several guns clicked into position. This was not how Amethyst had planned it to go down….

WN: Final chapter will be up soon, till then please read and review From Feyfangirl


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Solving the final problem.

WN: I can't believe that this is the end :/ Still, I have had an amazing time writing it and I can't thank you all enough for your support throughout this fic I am debating whether or not to write a sequel to this…. What do you guys all think? Also can anyone guess the nod I have given to in the title?

You could have cut the tension with a knife at that moment. It seemed to Layton, Nick and co that time had just frozen as they stood waiting for Gumshoe and his team to finish the job. They had all wanted to be a part of the proceedings, but they knew that they had to let the police do their work.

Meanwhile inside, Amethyst and Drake froze, locked in a silent battle. They had both wanted to run….. But there wasn't any real way out….. And they sure as hell weren't going to be arrested willingly.

"Now what are we gonna do?..." Drake hissed.

"Shut up and let me think!" Amethyst hissed. She knew that if she didn't manage to find a way out of this… well for her anyway, then she would be in for a world of hurt and all of her hard work would have been for nothing.

They stood locked in their furious glaring contest for another two minutes when the door flew into the room; having just been kicked down by a rather menacing looking Detective Gumshoe.

"PUT YOUR HANDS UP NOW PALS!" Gumshoe bellowed; flanked by two other officers.

It was then Amethyst had an idea.

"Pl…. please…. I…. he's going to kill me… you have to believe me…. Right?" She exclaimed with false terror, as she backed away from Drake with her hands up; her eyes wide with mock terror. Drake stood there in utter bewilderment for a few moments, before spluttering:

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU PLAYING AT?"

"Please… you… you have to believe me…. " She stammered, whilst keeping a safe distance from Drake.

"You cannot be serious…. You… are trying to sell me out?... You bitch!" He exclaimed.

"It's true…. I swear it is!... please… he held me hostage… made me take the little boy…. My own little brother hostage!"… She exclaimed and began to sob, her whole body shaking as she did so.

The trio of officers looked at one another in hesitation, as if unsure of what to believe. Gumshoe was torn, as she looked so innocent….. so fragile…. However he knew that every rose has thorns…. They all made the same mistake in believing Dahlia Hawthorne…. And look where that had gotten them…."

"Well….." Gumshoe raised his gun once again…. Slowly… However, Amethyst had other ideas and raised her own pistol she had kept on her leg. She was just about to fire when suddenly….."

*BANG!*

"WHAT THE?" Amethyst staggered slightly…. Then collapsed in pain as a torrent of red came streaming out of her left leg. They all turned in the direction of the gunshot, only to come face to face with Luke, Sven and Jem standing there…. With Sven holding a smoking rifle.

"**You son of a…" **She hissed. Gumshoe acted quickly, handcuffing Drake whilst ordering the officers with him to take Amethyst away. He read them their rights, and radioed in to let Franziska and Miles do their job on their end. As she was about to be taken away…. Jem stepped forward and spoke:

"I have finally worked it all out…. You….. were jealous… of her…. Even when our parents died….. she was still the apple of everyone's eye….. with men especially…. That is why you concocted this foul scheme of yours…. You had our sister murdered…. And when her bodyguard…. Ash Burns found evidence that would of sent him down… you had him silenced…. All the while working with her new manager… "Phil"…. Or should I say…. Drake?" He hissed, before adding:

"You are no family of mine….. and I hope that you both rot in jail for the rest of your natural lives…." And with that, he turned and walked away.

By this stage, the area was crawling with police, all cordoning off the area and shouting various things into radios, all the while getting whipped at frequent intervals by a certain whip happy prosecutor.

"Its over….. I… can't believe it…." Luke sighed. Jem just stood there too, as Sven was getting interviewed by the police.

"A true gentleman is always allowed to show their true feelings, especially after being put through a raw ordeal" A voice spoke, as the professor came into view.

"PROFESSAH!" Luke exclaimed, as he rushed over to give him a massive hug.

"We never stopped trying to find either of you…. That I promise" Layton smiled, as he returned Luke's fierce hug.

"That is true…. I have never seen anyone manage to still look good whilst frowning and trying to solve a kidnapping case, all the while wearing a rather large top hat!" Maya exclaimed, as she appeared with Pearl and Nick.

"You… you all came!" Luke was now wearing the biggest grin any of them had seen for a long time.

"Of course… rest assured Luke…. Jem… justice will be done…. That we can promise…" Edgeworth stated. Layton nodded his thanks to the lawyers.

"Well…. I think we can hold of in interviewing the boys for an hour at least…. Who would like a good, decent cup of tea?" Layton exclaimed.

There was a resounding "YES!" From everyone there… except….

"**HOLD IT!... WHAT ABOUT COFFEEE PALS?" **Gumshoe exclaimed.

Edgeworth just sighed.

Epilogue…..

Once treated for her injuries, Amethyst and Drake were tried together for their respective crimes. Miles personally insisted that he were to prosecute the case, and with such personal motivation, the defence fell apart. To give the defence their due, he put up a brave fight, however the Judge saw through the lies of Drake and Amethyst, and found them guilty of murder; kidnapping, as well as their other crimes, and set another trial date for their sentencing. They all had a good idea though as to what their fate would be though. And that was death. Jem decided to stay with his true family, Sven and Onyx as the pair set off for pastures new, promising Luke to keep in touch.

Chelmey, Don Paolo and Flora went back ahead of Layton and Luke, due to having business to attend to in London. As for Wright and Co….

Date: 04/03/2019, time: 11am, location: Airport.

"Well… it has been a pleasure to have you in America Professor, however I wish it had been more…. Pleasant, to say the least." Miles bowed lightly and the men shook hands…

"Ah, I am sure that next time will be better… though why don't you come to London next time?... I am sure that Luke and I can manage to show you around the sights of London" Layton laughed.

"Mister Layton…. Luke…. You will be missed…." Pearly smiled shyly, and sidled over to Luke, and gently kissed his cheek, much to his utter shock…

"Aww Pearly, you have made the poor kid blush!" Maya laughed.

*Flight boarding at -*

Suddenly, Luke and Layton gasped as they realised if they didn't move now they would miss their flight. They said their goodbyes, and the pair headed off into the distance.

*SOB*…. *

"Aww Pearly… don't worry… you will see him again soon….. Nick will take us to London, won't you Nick?" Maya beamed.

"Wh… WHAT?" Nick gasped. What was it about his wallet that seemed to scream "spend my contents" to everyone he met?

"Really?... you would do that so I could see my spec- I mean friend…. Oh thank you Mister Nick!" Pearl grinned and gave him a massive hug. All Nick could do was just shout….

"**OBJECTION!"**

**The end.**

WN: I can't believe this is over now, I hope that you have all enjoyed reading this as much as I have in writing it. Thanks so much to everyone for their constant support and a special acknowledgement goes to one Crazyyoshi of Bulbagarden Forums who did some brilliant fanart of which can be found here : .net/members/37753/albums/4387/55053/

Well, I am off to work on a new project for Ace Attorney which shall be up shortly

From Feyfangirl :D


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